Another
by x0x Maddie x0x
Summary: Jess meets another psychic. At first she loves having someone around who understands what it's like. But is her trust in Marie misplaced?
1. Chapter I

**Untitled**

Just so you know, I intend to change the title of this as soon as I think of a suitable title. Well, this is my first story on FanFiction. It starts out really boring I know. I'm sorry, but bear with me and I shall improve through your comments.

Disclaimer: Just so you know, I don't own this. The wonderful Meg Cabot does. Unfortunately, that includes the amazingly hot Rob. tear

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I was going! My amazing persuasive skills had paid off yet again. It had taken a long time and even more begging to get my parents to consent, but finally they gave up and agreed to let me go to Rob's cousin (I think Randy was Rob's cousin. Let me know if I'm wrong) Randy's wedding with Rob on Christmas Eve. When I first brought it up and asked them casually if I could go, they both looked at me as if they were seriously considering enrolling me at a mental institution. Without even taking a moment to consider it, they said no. Anticipating my plan B, sneaking out, they forbid me to even leave the house the night of the wedding.

My parents' first impression of Rob was not good. Not even okay. All they really knew was that he's two years older and on probation, and of course, that I'm completely, hopelessly in love with him. I guess that last part counted for something with my father because after singling him out and only a few minutes of pleading, he relented and told me I could go if I could get my mom's consent. Most likely, he only agreed because he knew my mom would never allow me to go out with Rob, especially on Christmas Eve, which is totally unfair since we don't even do anything on Christmas Eve. But my father had underestimated my all-powerful persuasive skills.

Okay, so maybe my "all-powerful skills" consisted only of the most basic sucking-up techniques, but hey, they'd been working for years. I chipped in around the house, cooking and cleaning, working hard and helping out where I could, even babysitting my big brother Doug (who's fine now by the way. He's been episode-free for almost a year now. My mom just can't seem to let him grow up). Reluctantly, my mom yielded to my show of helpfulness and responsibility. She did, however, threaten to call the police and send out a search party if I wasn't back by 10:00. Whoa, since when do I have such an early curfew? Usually, as long as I'm home by midnight, my mom doesn't care where I go. In fact, she usually doesn't even ask.

It was going to be a good, relaxing week. No school, no more annoying psychic powers (I haven't had anything but normal dreams, usually involving a certain someone, in months). Just me and Rob and a romantic night out (well, until 10:00 at least).

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Two more days until the wedding, my calendar reminded me constantly. I'd crossed out the days until Randy's wedding, but it just made each and every day just seem longer. It'd been a few days since the last time I saw Rob.

"Well, that's cool I guess. I'll pick you up at six," he'd said when I told him I was going to the wedding with him, but I could hear the hidden excitement in his voice. He was as psyched as I was.

As I was daydreaming about me and Rob on the back of his motorcycle, coasting down the highway faster than I'd ever gone before, my arms around his waist, his tight abs quite prominent under only his thin T-shirt. We'd drive for hours and finally stop and-

I was torn back to reality when I heard a sound that my ears had been straining for all week. Looking out of my window, I could see the whole street. Nothing escaped my view, especially not Rob's Indian, turning onto my street, racing in the direction of my house.

I rushed out to meet him, glad that he was finally here. Seven days really was too long to go without seeing him. I ran towards him before he had even had a chance to stop. As a result, he almost ran me over. "Jesus, Mastriani," he said as he quickly applied the break.

I didn't care. All I cared about was that Rob was finally here and he'd take me away and we'd ride for hours on end etcetera etcetera, just like in my dreams, only in my dreams, we did a little more than ride around on the back of a bike...

Grabbing the spare helmet, I jumped onto the seat behind him, wrapping my arms around him. But he didn't move. In fact, he stopped the engine and disentangled my arms from his waist. He looked at me and I turned red, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. I guess I was a little too quick to run outside and jump on the back of his bike.

Turning around, he looked into my eyes and I melted. He was my boyfriend, so why was it that every time I looked into his beautiful brown eyes my stomach lurched and I felt like the world was at peace? Shouldn't that feeling have passed by now?

"I came to talk to your parents," Rob explained, "about the wedding."

"Oh," I said, the disappointment clearly shown in my face. So, he wasn't here to see me after all. He wanted to talk to my parents. Wait, he wanted to talk to my parents! But they don't like him. I'd finally gotten them to agree to let me go to the wedding with Rob. What if whatever he had to say to them changed their minds? "Uh, Rob," I added quickly. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I know, but it's kind of important."

"Well, what is it?" I asked, curious.

"After the wedding, there's going to be a little party at my house for the bride and groom and their families. And, well," he said, suddenly sounding kind of nervous, "I need a date. And I was going to ask you first to see if you wanted to-because I'd understand if you didn't. You wouldn't really know anybody there and I just thought if I asked your parents then-" he blurted out quickly and stopped, unsure of where he was going with this.

So that was it. He wanted to ask me out but, being Rob, he felt he had to ask my parents first. Well, considering what my mom said about the search party, he probably did. I'd be out way later than ten. "Okay," I said, stunned at Rob's nervousness around me.

He went up to the house and rang the doorbell. My mom answered. When she saw who was at the door, she looked like she wanted to slam it in his face and run back inside. Then she saw me. Well, more importantly, she saw where I was sitting. She was about as crazy about motorcycles as she was about Rob. I got up quickly. My mom put on a fake polite smile and invited Rob inside. Dazed, I followed him in. He gave me a look that said to stay away and let him handle it, so I went back to my room and sat by my window, watching the street below.

It seemed to be hours later, though it was really only about 30 minutes, that Rob reappeared. He knocked on my bedroom door and, without moving from my position on my bed (I'd given up watching the street and decided to read), I shouted, "Come in."

He was smiling. I wondered how he'd gotten my parents to agree so quickly. Maybe I still had a lot to learn about how to persuade my protective parents. I smiled at Rob and sat up. He sat next to me on my bed and looked around my room. He'd never seen my room, I realized. It was kind of a mess with clothes and schoolwork scattered about. I guess I should have cleaned up. But the feeling didn't last too long as I began to notice that Rob was sitting so close our legs were touching. I guess he noticed my gaze because he moved away, ending any physical contact.

At a loss for what to say, I invited him to stay for dinner, but he said no, he had to get back home and besides he didn't want to push it with my parents. Then, he got up to go. Our only time together in a week and it had been spent with my parents. I didn't want him to go yet. I couldn't wait another two days. I got up and grabbed his hand, stopping him on his way out the door. Then I stood up on tiptoe and kissed his lips lightly. At first he seemed surprised and resisted a little, but then he kissed me back softly for a while. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. It was as though my dreams had been realized. Here I was with this incredibly hot guy, kissing him, and him kissing me back, and everything else faded away, like Rob and I were the only people in the entire world. I felt it could go on forever. And then he pulled back and disentangled my arms from around my neck. "Jesus, Mastriani," he said seriously. "Do you want your parents to see us and change their minds?" But I heard the quiver in his voice and I knew that he felt the same way I did. I wanted to pull him close to me again, but I didn't dare.

The gentle hum of Rob's Indian faded in the distance as I watched him go. Farewell till Saturday, I thought. I'd have to wait two days to see him again. My heart already ached just thinking about it.


	2. Chapter II

Sorry this chapter is kind of short. It was like five pages on Word, though, so it can't be _that_ short. If you review, maybe I'll be inspired to write longer chapters! Well, my wonderful readers. Well, _reader_. I actually only got one comment. Uh, yeah. Anyway, thanks for the comment, Rand-Chan, and I'll try not to sound so repetitive. And if you're reading this, please review. It's my first story on FanFiction, so I don't expect all your reviews to be wonderful, but if you have something to say, anything, let me know!

**Disclaimer:** As I'm sure you all know, all these characters belong to Meg Cabot.

Okay, on with the story.

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**Chapter II**

I stared at the alarm clock next to my bed, willing the display to jump ahead an hour to read 7:00. At seven, Rob would come and take me to his uncle's wedding (A/N: I remember now, Randy was Rob's uncle, wasn't he?). I tried to imagine what Rob would look like in a tux, but I just couldn't picture it. I'd never seen Rob in a tux before. I just hoped he wouldn't look like a penguin. My brother Mike looked like a little penguin in a tux and I used to tease him relentlessly about it.

I put the thought aside and stood to smooth out my baby blue dress. It featured spaghetti straps and an asymmetrical hem. Normally, I would have killed myself rather than be seen in a dress, but Rob had insisted and I just couldn't say no to him. Not to his face anyway. At first, he'd asked me over the phone and I'd instantly refused, but when I he came over and I could see his face, that feeling in the pit of my stomach returned and I'd have agreed to jumping out of a plane with no parachute if he'd asked me to.

"Jess," my mom called from downstairs.

"What?" I shouted back, regretfully leaving my post next to the alarm clock. I went to the kitchen, where my mom was waiting for me. Imagine my surprise when I saw who she was talking to. My boyfriend. Uh Oh. "Mom," I said quietly.

"Oh, there you are, Jess," she said, finally taking notice of my presence. "Rob's here," she said, unnecessarily since he was sitting right beside her, in perfect sight from where I was standing at the kitchen doorway. Rob was early, but I decided not to ask why. I was just glad he was here.

"Ready?" Rob asked, looking me up and down. "You look...amazing."

"Uh, thanks," I said, blushing. "You don't look so bad yourself." It was the understatement of the year. In fact, Rob looked gorgeous and, I'm happy to say, not at all penguin-like. Actually, he looked quite hot. I wouldn't mind seeing him in a tux every day.

Rob got up and I followed him out the door, calling my goodbyes to my parents. I was slightly disappointed to see his mom's truck parked in our driveway, though I guess riding his Indian in a dress wasn't the best idea. So, I got in and Rob drove off. Then I remembered that he had come early. When I voiced this, he smiled.

"I wanted us to have a little time alone before the wedding," he said. "But, if you want, I'll drive you back home now."

"No," I said quickly. Everyone in the house, especially my mother, had been harassing me all day, telling me that I couldn't go in that and what was I going to do with my hair. Finally, my mom took me shopping and picked out a dress for me. I protested, but she ended up buying it anyway. Wasn't she the one who didn't want me to go, so why did she care what I looked like?

Rob turned to me and grinned, looking me up and down again. I guess he just couldn't get over the fact that I, Jessica Mastriani, was wearing a dress. I blushed slightly, wishing he'd get over it. I guess someone heard me. He quickly turned his attention back to the road when someone honked at us. Rob, paying absolutely no attention to the road, had started drifting slowly into the next lane.

I laughed. "So, where are you taking me?" I asked. An hour was hardly enough time for a real date.

"I thought we'd go eat first," he said.

"Won't there be food at the reception?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but I wouldn't go near that stuff," Rob warned me. "My uncle wanted to cut costs so he made all the food himself. Lets just say that he's not the world's best cook."

I expected him to take me to a restaurant or something, but soon we were pulling up to Rob's house. I followed him inside and into the kitchen, where he proceeded to pull stuff out of cabinets. Five minutes later, two mouth-watering sandwiches lay on the counter before me. I grabbed the nearest one and took a bite. It was really good.

We sat together on the couch, devouring the sandwiches. I finished mine and decided to rest my head on his shoulder. Well, I couldn't quite reach his shoulder, so I settled for laying against his arm. We sat like that for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. Then Rob moved his arm and got up. "Time to go," he announced.

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Apparently, Rob hadn't had many girlfriends before, which I find hard to believe since he's so amazingly hot, but it seemed to be true since like every one of his relatives came up to us and just had to meet me. It was kind of weird meeting all these people and I couldn't for the life of me remember most of their names. For some reason, I remembered most of his little cousin's names. I guess I'm just good with kids. Probably from finding so many of them in the past, but fortunately, those days were over. Rob's youngest cousin, Cody, seemed really fond of Rob, like he looked up to him. I mean that literally as well as figuratively since Rob was like two and a half feet taller than this kid.

During the wedding, since I didn't know these people, I got kind of bored and just sat there, waiting for it to be over. I wanted to get out of here and go somewhere with Rob. I know I've been looking forward to this wedding for weeks now, but somehow I just didn't think it'd be this boring. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. The flower girl took forever to get down the isle and the bride walked slowly up to where Randy was waiting. I don't know why, maybe boredom really does do something to you, but I began to imagine what it would be like when Rob and I got married. If we got married. He seemed afraid to even come near me as long as I remained jailbait. I imagined a small wedding with close friends and family. Ruth was my bride's maid and Rob was waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

I snapped out of my reverie as people around me stood and clapped. Then everyone went to congratulate the bride and groom. Rob surprised me by taking my hand and leading me the other way, out of the room. As he walked quickly down the hall, he seemed to be looking for something. Without saying a word, he pulled me into a nearby room. It was dark and empty. He shut the door and pulled me close and covered my lips with his. This was totally unexpected coming from him because, as I mentioned earlier, he seemed to think of me only as jailbait. But he sure didn't seem to be thinking about that now. He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me even closer. My arms made their way to his long hair and began to entangle themselves in it.

Suddenly, Rob pulled away from me, startling me since I hadn't been expecting it. Then I saw why. Light was streaming into the room from the partially open door and two wide blue eyes stared at us. It was only Rob's cousin, Cody. I like little kids and all, but right then I wished he would just go away. But, of course, he didn't. He just stood there, staring at us with those wide blue eyes of his. Rob mumbled something about going to see what he wanted and left me standing there. How rude, I thought to myself. I wandered out of the room a few seconds later and Rob and Cody were nowhere to be seen, so I went back to the wedding. The bride and groom were cutting the cake. Wow, had we really been in that room for _that_ long!

Rob was still nowhere in sight, so I sat back down and waited for him. Cody came in and sat next to me without a sound. I still don't think I've ever heard him utter a word yet. Shortly after Cody, Rob came in and sat down on my other side. He gave no indication that he was sorry we weren't in the back room anymore. He just sat down and didn't really seem to notice me at all. Well, fine. Two can play that game. I stared straight ahead to where the bride and groom where now laughing and smothering cake in each other's faces. They looked so happy together. My heart yearned to have what they did. As if sensing this, Rob grabbed my hand. I turned around, tired of ignoring him since he didn't even seem to have noticed.

We had some cake and Rob introduced me to Randy and his new wife, Lisa. We talked for a few moments. They seemed like really nice people. They could be my relatives some day, I thought to myself. Then, Rob politely excused us.

He drove me back to his house and I helped him hand streamers and balloons while his mom cooked in the kitchen. By the time we were done, I was dizzy from lack of air, since I'd blown all mine into the balloon. Rob must have felt the same way because he led me outside to the front porch to get some air. Or maybe he just wanted to get me alone, out of the house so we could continue our make-out session, hopefully uninterrupted this time. But, of course, he had no such intentions. We just sat there, catching out breaths. Once the oxygen was circulating to my head and I could think clearly, I went inside to see if Rob's mother needed any help in the kitchen. But it turned out that she had just finished and didn't need any help, so I went back outside to sit with Rob. I sat next to him, our legs touching. Soundlessly, he pulled me up onto his lap and I rested my head on his chest. We sat like that for a long while. Then cars started to pull up and Rob's family, looking hungry since most of them knew better than to eat the food at the wedding, came up to the porch where we were sitting. Rob picked me up off his lap and gently placed me next to him. We both got up and opened the door to let everyone in.

As I suspected, most of the night was spent in the dining room where Mrs. Wilkins had set a variety of foods upon the table. Everything was delicious as usual; Mrs. Wilkins was perhaps the best cook I've ever met. People talked and laughed all through the night. Last minute wedding gifts were opened, people made toasts, and finally it was time to go. Actually, it was much less crowded now since everyone that had to work tomorrow or had small children that needed to get to bed had already left. Everyone that remained said goodbye to the bride and groom, who were to depart to Hawaii on their honeymoon tomorrow morning and filed out the door. When everyone was gone, we set to work cleaning the house. Actually, Rob's relatives weren't all that messy. Most of the paper plates and napkins had ended up in the trash.

I looked at the wall clock. It was already 10:40 and I had to be home in twenty minutes (My mom had extended my curfew a whole hour after Rob told her about this post wedding party). Twenty minutes wasn't much time to hang out with Rob, especially since we hadn't finished cleaning up. There wouldn't be enough time to watch a movie or anything. We could make out for a while, but Rob didn't seem to have any interest in that.

So we set to work cleaning, but just as we did, the front door burst open and everyone came running back inside, dripping wet. The weather channel had said something about a storm, but the skies had been blue this morning, so no one thought we'd actually get a storm. But, apparently, I should have trusted the weatherman. The storm was too bad to drive home in. I wondered why we hadn't noticed it earlier. I guess it'd been too loud. Rob's house was rather small and he had a lot of relatives crowded in here.

I called my mom since Rob wouldn't be driving me home and let her know that Mrs. Wilkins had offered to let me stay at the house overnight. At first she wouldn't even consider the idea, but when she could think of no other alternative, she relented. "Okay, but he better not be in the same bed as you," she shouted over the phone line. I told her of course not and, feeling like she had completed her motherly duties, she said bye and hung up.

A few of Robs relatives had decided to go to the hotel down the road when the storm temporarily lightened up. The rest were invited to stay for the night. I ended up sleeping in Rob's room while he slept on the couch and his relatives were crowded into the guest room, more couches, and, when there was no more room, on the floor in sleeping bags. Fortunately, most of the guests had gone to the hotel, so there was just enough room for everyone. And I got Rob's room all to myself.

I was asleep only a few minutes after my head hit Rob's pillow. It smelled like his shampoo and it was the most wonderful smell in the world. I felt content as I lay there and I fell asleep with a smile on my face, hoping the storm would last forever so I wouldn't have to leave the warmth and comfort of Rob's bed.

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**Like it? Hate it? Think I shouldn't waste my time writing such crap? Let me know. Just click that button. Come on. You know you want to.**

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	3. Chapter III

A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I promise the next chappy will be long to make up for it. At least I updated really quickly. Anyway, the good news is I think I finally figured out where this story is going.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll. Only the plot is mine. Yada yada. I'm sure you know all this by now, so let's get on with the story, shall we?

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**Chapter III**

_It was dark. So dark, in fact, that I couldn't see more than a foot in any direction. I felt squashed, like the walls were closing in on me and I could do nothing to stop them. Soon, they'd squash me flat. But, of course, the walls were not actually moving. The room was so small and cluttered that I felt almost claustrophobic._

_As I walked ahead a few steps, I ran into a four-poster bed. Pain shot up my leg. I tried to scream but couldn't utter a sound due to the gag someone had put in my mouth. After searching all the walls, only tripping twice over the various mounds of junk piled throughout the room, I realized there was no way to escape, so I gave up and sat down on the bed. It felt like I hadn't eaten in days if the sudden growling of my stomach was any indication. I was numb all over except for the excruciating pain in my head. Reaching my hand up to my head, I rubbed it, running my fingers through my short hair. They must have drugged me because suddenly I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep._

I awoke to the sound of rain falling softly on the windowpane. Looking at my alarm clock, I realized I had overslept. The display read 9:54AM. School was still out for winter break, so my sleeping in didn't matter. Trying to ignore the constant pitter-patter of rain on my window, I rolled over and buried my face in the softness of my pillow. Wait, the pillow smelled different. It was a smell I recognized right away. It smelled like Rob. I opened my eyes and looked around. Then, remembering the previous night's activities, I figured out why I wasn't in my own room, not that I minded at all being in Rob's room.

Reluctantly, I threw off the warm covers and stepped out of bed into the cold. I went into the bathroom and looked at my reflection in the mirror. A girl with some serious bed-head peered back at me. I was still wearing that dress, as I hadn't thought to bring a change of clothes with me. No way was I going down to meet Rob and his family looking like…well, like I'd just gotten out of bed. I turned on the sink and splashed cool water over my face. Then, since I didn't have a hairbrush, proceeded to comb through the tangle of hair on my head with my fingers.

When I was satisfied with my image, I walked downstairs to greet Rob and Mrs. Wilkins. They were in the kitchen, Mrs. Wilkins cooking and Rob reading one of those paperback mystery novels I remember him always having when we'd been in detention together. He looked up when he heard me come in. Mrs. Wilkins told me to take a seat and that breakfast would be ready in a minute and she hoped I liked fresh scrambled eggs. I assured her that I did and sat down next to Rob, who'd returned his novel to the back pocket of his jeans.

"Where is everybody?" I asked, realizing that Rob's family was nowhere in sight.

"They left this morning while you were asleep," he explained, adding a remark about how the average person spends about a third of his life sleeping and I probably spent about half.

Deciding to ignore his comment, I dug into my eggs, which Mrs. Wilkins had just set in front of me on the table. Rob did the same.

That was when I remembered my dream. It had been so real, almost like those dreams where I'd find missing kids, but I hadn't had one of those dreams in over a month so I think it's safe to say that my powers have gone. No more Lightning Girl. I remembered that in my dream, just before I fell asleep, I'd reached up and touched my hair. It had been really short, a boy-cut. Only a dream, I told myself, pushing it out of my head.

Rob drove me home after breakfast. This time, he took the Indian, so I got to put my arms around him and feel his rock-hard abs beneath his thin T-shirt. The drive ended too soon for my tastes. Rob pulled up in my driveway and said goodbye. Unfortunately, our goodbyes didn't involve tongue. Feeling deprived, I made my way up the porch steps and rang the doorbell; trust me to forget my keys. So I'm waiting out there in the cold morning air waiting for someone to come to the door, Rob watching to make sure I get in okay, and I'm just about to give up hope when finally Mike comes to the door and lets me in. Turning around, I wave goodbye to Rob, who drives off in the direction of his house. I glare at my brother, about to demand an explanation for taking so long when I see Claire sitting on the couch. Oh, well, that explained it.

Not wanting to stick around downstairs while my brother and his girlfriend made out on the couch, I went upstairs to my room and fell into my bed. Shivering, I got in and pulled the covers over my head. I closed my eyes and within seconds I was asleep. Wow, maybe Rob had a point, I did sleep a lot. Once again, my dreams returned me to the small room with no windows and no way to escape.

I woke up an hour later and changed out of my dress. Then I decided to call Rob and see what he was doing. I know it sound pathetic, but I missed him. Rob answered the phone on the first ring. "Hello," he said, sounding worried.

"Hey, Rob," I said.

"Oh, Mastriani. It's you. Listen, I can't talk right now." He stopped, unable to continue.

"Rob?" I asked, urging him to finish.

"It's Cody. He's gone."

Come on, you know you want to comment. It'd make me really happy if you would just click that little button. Please. I don't want to have to resort to begging.

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	4. Chapter IV

**A/N**: Okay, here's your extra long chappie just as I promised. The plot will start to build a little in this chapter. Hope you like it! R&R!

_Rand-Chan: _I'm glad you think the last chapter was good even in all its shortness. This chapter is for you.

**Disclaimer**: I'm sure you know by now that none of these characters belong to me. Meg Cabot created them. I just created the plot.

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**Chapter IV**

"Are you sure," I asked dumbly. Of course he was sure. What kind of question was that?

"Of course I'm sure," he said, mimicking my thoughts. "He disappeared last night after the party." He hesitated, unsure if he should voice his thoughts.

"What is it, Rob," I asked, thinking I knew what he wanted. But I couldn't do that anymore; Rob knew that.

"Well, it's just... I know you haven't, but... could you try to find him like... like you used to?" he finished.

"Rob, I-"

"I know," he said, cutting me off, "but, Jess, could you just try?"

That's what got me. Rob never called me Jess. "Well... I guess I could try," I decided.

"Alright," he whispered into the phone, relieved. "Bye." I was about to hang up when he added something else. "Thank you, Jess."

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_Warm blood flowed from the numerous cuts across my back, but no matter how hard I strained my memory, I couldn't remember how I'd gotten them. Unable to move, I resorted to lying stationary on the hard bed. There was no telling how long I lay there, unable to move and unable to fall asleep no matter how much my eye lids drooped. The smell of stale urine mixed with decaying rats burning my nostrils._

_Suddenly the sound of rattling chains met my ears and light began to stream into the room. I shut my eyes tight, unable to look into the light after having spent so much time in the darkness. I didn't know what day it was or even if it was day. There were no windows down here, so for all I knew, the sun may not have set but once. It felt so much longer than that. A bag of food was thrust into the room and the door was shut, returning me to the darkness. My stomach growled greedily. I couldn't even remember the last time that I had eaten. The sound of chains outside the door returned as whoever had kidnapped me and caused the cuts across my bar back secured the door shut. It wouldn't have made a difference if they'd left the door open, I wasn't going anywhere. I couldn't move an inch._

_My stomach growled again and I decided to try to move to the bag of food on the floor. Gradually, painfully, I lifted myself off the bed and made my way hungrily to the bag. I poured the contents out onto the floor. A loaf of stale bread and a small bottle of water lay before me. Tearing off large pieces of bread from the loaf, I stuffed them hungrily into my mouth, washing them down with the water, which had a strange aftertaste. I didn't even notice how bad the food was, nor would I have cared if I had. After gulping the rest of the water, there was a small thunk as my tiny, feeble body fell to the ground._

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I sat up straight, my eyes wide, heart thumping wildly. Slowly, I began to realize that I was safely in my own room. It had all seemed so real. Even now I could feel warm blood dripping down my back. My hand shaking, I felt along my back. It was wet. As I looked down at my bed, I realized there was a wet spot of the same size and shape where I had previously been lying. I was drenched with sweat.

Unable to go back to sleep, I went to the bathroom and ran a bath. My wet clothes clung to my shaking body. Slowly, I removed them and lowered myself into the warm water. I grabbed the soap and scrubbed so hard at my skin that it turned a light pink color. It stung, but I didn't care. I sunk into the water, willing it to wash away the nightmare.

Finally, I stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around my still-shaking body. My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they reached for the phone on my bedside table. They gripped it firmly, no longer shaking, as if expecting it to make everything all right again. Seemingly of their own accord, my fingers dialed Rob's number. A voice rough from sleep answered on the last ring. I looked at the alarm clock next to my bed. 2:30AM. I had woken him up. Embarrassed, I slammed the phone down into the receiver.

A second later it was ringing loudly, the sound coursing through me. I grabbed it and held it slightly away from my ear as if it were a snake, ready to strike. "H-hello," I said, my voice shaking.

"Mastriani?" Rob's voice sounded worried now, the sleepiness had died away. When I didn't answer, he continued. "Jess, what's wrong?" he asked softly, his voice soothing. There was a pause and then "Did you have a dream?" he asked hopefully.

That's when I realized the significance of my nightmare. It had been no ordinary dream. I hadn't had one like it in almost a year. I realized then that it hadn't been me all alone in the dark room. I had been seeing things from Cody's point of view. Cody was scared and hurt and I had to do something about it.

It all made sense now. Rob had said that Cody disappeared the night of the party, the same night I'd had the first dream. Without saying a word, I hung up and walked to my closet, where I rummaged around for some clothes. For all I knew, or cared, the clothes I picked didn't even match, but that didn't matter now. I had to get dressed. I had to help Cody. I had to get in the car and- Wait, car. I didn't even have a driver's license yet. Realizing that I needed a ride, I called Rob again, but he didn't answer. "Rob, this is no time to go back to sleep," I said quietly to myself, worry and frustration evident in my voice.

Rob wasn't there for me this time and I had no other option. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right? So, I did the only thing I could think of. I went quietly into Doug's room, pushing the door open slowly, willing it not to creak. He always kept his keys on his dresser. Tiptoeing so as not to wake him, I grabbed them and made my way downstairs and out to Doug's car. No sooner had I put the key in the lock than bright headlights blinded me as someone turned into our driveway. How could I not have noticed the sound of Rob's Indian coming down my street, the sound I strained my ears every night to hear?

The lights turned off and Rob came running through the darkness towards me. He grabbed me and held on tight. I gave him a squeeze and untangled his arms from around my waist. There was no time. Sensing my haste, Rob handed me the spare helmet and climbed on the motorcycle. As soon as he was sure my grip was tight around his waist so I wouldn't fall off, he sped off into the night. Somehow I knew exactly where we had to go. Lightning Girl was back!

He made me tell him all about my dream. Well, dreams actually, I corrected him. I told him what had happened, not sparing him any details. I told him about the room and about Cody being drugged, and about the unbearable pain. Rob was shocked. He began to get really angry. Not at me, of course, I'd done what he asked. I'd found his cousin. As I ended my story, he uttered a stream of curse words under his breath, some of which I'd never even heard before.

Suddenly curious, I asked how he knew to come to my house. "Well, Mastriani, that's where you live," he explained sarcastically. How could he joke now when he knew his cousin was in danger?

"No, I meant, how'd you know I needed you?" I clarified, not having picked up the sarcasm in his voice.

"I know what you meant," he said, but didn't continue.

"Rob, how come you didn't answer your phone when I called you?" I asked.

"Because, Mastriani (it was good to hear him calling me that again), I was on my way to get you," he said matter-of-factly. Oh, right. Why hadn't I thought of that? Only an hour earlier, I had thought that Rob wouldn't be there for me when I needed him. I couldn't figure out why I doubted him; he'd always been there for me before. Suddenly I felt like I'd betrayed Rob. I tightened my grip around his waist. All other conversation was lost beneath the roar of the wind.

We passed the sign that told us we'd driven past the city limits (A/N: I don't remember what city Jess lives in. If you know, plz tell me) and kept going for what seemed like hours. Finally, Rob pulled up to an old two story house. It was in the middle of nowhere with no one around. Looking at it made me think of those haunted houses from the movies with their broken windows and bats. The most eerie thing about the house was the darkness. A dark aura seemed to emanate from it, spreading into the forest that surrounded the house on both sides. Rob hadn't even come to a complete stop when I jumped off the back of the Indian, threw off the helmet, and ran to the front door. I was almost to the door when two strong arms enveloped me, holding me back. "Rob!" I protested. "Cody could be in there and-"

He interrupted me, "Don't you think I know that! I want to find Cody more than anything, but I can't just let you run in there and get yourself captured." Normally, seeing Rob care this much would have sent my hormones into overdrive, but now it was just annoying. I struggled to get out of his arms, but his strong grip was unyielding. Only inches from the doorway, I gave up and let myself fall into Rob's arms. Hot tears rose to the surface and I fought to hold them back.

Rob pulled me closer, comforting me. We stood there listening for a clue as to who we'd find inside, but not a sound came from the old house looming over us. Rob sat me down on the porch and told me to wait. He was going to check it out. I grabbed his leg as he walked by, silently urging him not to leave me out here. He didn't want to waste time arguing with me when his cousin could be in danger, so he resorted to threatening me. He said that if I didn't stay put that he'd make me. It wasn't a very convincing threat especially since he had no rope or anything to tie me down with.

I'd seen scary movies before and no way was I staying outside. The lookouts always got eaten first, not that I was afraid of getting eaten or anything except maybe by the hundreds of mosquitoes swarming around this place. I let go of Rob's leg and nodded, trying to look defeated. This seemed to satisfy Rob because he went into the house without another word. As soon as his footsteps faded, I hurried inside.

The darkness was overwhelming and for a moment I could only stand there. When my eyes had adjusted slightly to the darkness, I continued into the house, listening for Cody. Remembering how small and dark the room from my dream was, I headed in the direction I thought the basement might be.

Ahead, I heard rattling chains and froze. Someone was trying to get into the basement. I groped around me for something to use as a weapon. Finding a large piece of wood, I grabbed it and held it close. Muttering could be heard from up ahead. I followed it, stick at the ready, and ran smack into Rob turning a corner. "Mastriani," he whispered angrily through the darkness. "I thought I told you to stay put. And what the hell are you holding?"

"Um," I said, at a loss for words. I'd almost beat my boyfriend with a wooden stick. Oops. The stick clattered to the floor. Rob seemed to get the message.

"Well, I was just going to get you anyway," he explained. "I need something to break this lock," he continued, motioning toward a chained door that I assumed led to the basement. I bent down and picked up the stick I'd dropped.

"Here," I said, handing it to him. He gave me one of those half amused smiles he seemed to reserve just for me. I didn't know how he could stand there and smile at me when Cody was only a few yards away in a lot of pain. My expression gave away my thoughts and Rob turned towards the door.

Moments later, the lock had been forced open and the basement door was thrown open. I dashed inside before Rob could stop me. He ran in after me, leaving the door wide open. There was a loud crash as I kicked over a stack of boxes. The sound reverberated off the walls of the small room. I felt Rob glare at me through the darkness, but I barely noticed. This was definitely the room from my dream. I remembered vividly the way the walls felt as if they'd close in on you and the way junk was piled all over the place. I went to the place where Cody had passed out and found no one. Half a loaf of stale bread and an empty water bottle lay on the floor. Walking a little farther, I screamed out in pain having just run into the four-poster bed. (A/N: I know she seems a little clumsy now, but just go with it). Rob hurried to my side as I fell onto the bed. A distinct smell emanated from the mattress. It smelled like rotting animals and urine. We searched the rest of the house, but we were completely alone.

I sat down on the bed, exhausted after searching the whole house with no results. We had returned to the basement to reexamine it but to no avail. Rob sat down next to me and I could tell that he was disappointed. I'd given him a false hope of finding his cousin. "Come on," he said, helping me up. "Let's just go home."

Rob and I were only feet from the front door when it swung open and a girl who looked only about a year older than me ran in. She looked like she was searching for something. Not noticing us standing there in the darkness, she ran smack into Rob. Startled, she jumped backwards into the wall. She slid down it and landed in a heap on the floor. Rob grabbed her and roughly pulled her up. "What have you done with Cody," he growled menacingly. I'd never seen Rob so rough with anyone before, but his anger was understandable. After all, this girl had come to this house in the middle of nowhere that his cousin had been taken to and brutally beaten. Why would she be there if she hadn't had anything to do with Cody's disappearance.

"Who?" she said innocently at Rob's mention of Cody, although her voice shook and she was plainly scared. I couldn't blame her for being frightened; I know _I_ would have been terrified. Hatred like I'd never seen shone from Rob's usually expressionless eyes.

"My cousin," Rob hissed through clenched teeth. "What have you done to him?"

She seemed to hesitate as if trying to find a way to explain her presence. She looked at me as if just realizing I'd been standing there. A glint of recognition showed in her eyes. "Oh, that poor little boy," she said, as if just realizing whom Rob was referring to. Rob's eyes looked murderous as he stared down at the girl. "Did you find him?" she asked, sounding genuinely worried. "I was just coming to check it out myself." Her voice was way too cheery for someone who was being interrogated by Rob Wilkins, who stood almost half a foot taller than her. "See, I-" She hesitated slightly. "Well, don't tell anyone, but I had this dream," she explained. "There was this boy. He was locked in a dark cellar. He'd been kidnapped. It all felt so real. And afterwards I somehow knew to come here."

"That's im-" Rob started. Then he looked at me.

Rob let go of her really fast, almost knocking her back into the wall. Whoa, did she really just say what I think she said?

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OK, here's the thing. See, I have the next chapter of this all ready, but I'm not going to post it until I get at least three comments. Come on, three comments is nothing! If you want to know what happens next, leave a comment and I promise I'll post the next chapter as soon as I receive those 3 comments. Is that really too much to ask?


	5. Chapter V

**A/N: **Wow, those comments came fast! Next time I decide to blackmail you guys, I'll raise the ransom. Lol. Thanks for all of your comments!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are property of Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll.

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**Chapter V**

I don't know what you eat for breakfast, but I usually enjoy scrambled eggs and toast or oatmeal, or something. But Chick's appeared to have only one item on their breakfast menu: burgers. Now usually burgers wouldn't sound too appetizing to me at six in the morning, but when Chick set that burger in front of me it was gone in less than two minutes. I gobbled it hungrily having had nothing to eat since lunch the previous day.

"Jesus, Mastriani," Rob said as he watched me take massive bites of my burger. "Slow down. And chew first," he suggested.

From then on I concentrated on chewing at least five times before swallowing. I looked up into Rob's foggy grey eyes (A/N: Thanks, XXdestinedXXforXXpainXX). He gave me one of those half amused smiles. Diverting my gaze, I tried to make conversation, "So, Marie." The girl across the table looked at me and smiled. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago I had thought she was a kidnapper. "When did you start finding missing kids?" I asked, curious.

Marie finished chewing her burger and thought for a moment before answering, something I figured I should try before opening up my big mouth again. "Actually, she finally answered, "I was born with these…powers." I noticed the slight hesitation in her voice before the last word. "I was really surprised when I heard on the news that you'd gotten the same powers." I remembered how weird it had been seeing my face all over the news when I'd first gotten these "powers", as Marie had put it. She blushed slightly. "I thought I was alone."

"Well, actually," I piped in, "there's a whole team of psychic kids working for the FBI." I noted the interested expression on Marie's face. "I can give you their number if you want," I offered. When she nodded, I wrote it on a napkin and passed it to her. I thought about the day they'd kidnapped me and held me at Crane military base against my will. This group was much more sophisticated. They were understanding and kind.

I felt eyes on me. I looked up and caught Rob's gaze. He quickly pretended to be looking at the clock on the wall behind me. "Well," he said, his voice calm and untelling as ever, "I'd better get Jess home." I looked at the clock and realized that he was right. My parents would be up soon. They'd be pissed when they found out I'd left in the middle of the night without so much as leaving them a note.

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Turns out they hadn't even noticed I was gone. Well, didn't that make me feel special? I felt invisible as I climbed the stairs slowly, my muscles exhausted. When I got to my room, I suddenly realized how tired I was and collapsed onto the bed. My eyes had only been closed for a second when the phone rang. Without opening them, I groped around for the phone and picked it up. "Hello," I said groggily.

Ruth's cheerful voice answered. "Hey, Jess," she practically sang into the phone.

Groaning, I opened my eyes and sat up. "What's up, Ruth?" I asked, curious as to what was making my best friend so happy.

"Well, you remember Michael Wilson, right?"

"Yeah," I answered, confused. "So?"

"So, he asked me out!" she said excitedly. I was surprised not that he'd asked Ruth out since he'd liked her since last year but that Ruth actually said yes. Last I'd heard from her, she thought Michael was a pain in the butt.

"That's really great, Ruth," I said, trying to sound excited for her.

"I know! He's so sweet and so cute!"

"Ruth," I said, "I'm really happy for you but right now I'm tired. I've had a busy morning. Rob and I-"

Anger replaced the excitement in Ruth's voice as she interrupted me, telling me that she thought her best friend would be happy for her but that all I cared about was Rob and then she hung up before I could explain. I placed the phone back on the receiver and was asleep within a matter of minutes.

My little catnap didn't last very long because my mom called me down to help her make lunch. What she really wanted was to talk to me. Actually, it was more of an interrogation. As I walked by Douglas' room on my way to the stairs, I remembered that I still had his keys. Quietly, I slipped into his empty room and put them back on the dresser. Hopefully he hadn't noticed they were missing.

As I helped my mom make sandwiches, I answered questions about my personal life that she threw at me. I swear, sometimes I don't think she trusts me at all. I can't imagine why.

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When I woke up the next morning, I knew exactly where Cody was. It was kind of weird though because he was in the one place knew he wasn't. We had checked it very carefully. He was back in the basement of that house again.

I called Rob and told him to come get me, also mentioning that I'd call Marie. My parents had gone to work at Mastriani's and my brothers were busy with their own lives in their rooms. I left them a note so they wouldn't worry, also warning them not to tell mom or else.

I called Marie and told her where we'd be meeting. She sounded like she hadn't slept all night, which explained why she was shocked that we were going back to the same place we'd just searched (A/N: because she couldn't find Cody unless she'd been asleep remember). But she agreed to meet us there anyway.

Rob arrived about ten minutes later and I jumped on the back of the Indian and wrapped my arms around him. Before we left, though, he demanded to know where Cody was.

"Well," I said, afraid he might react the same way Marie had. I removed my arms from around his waist. "He's back in the basement."

"Mastriani," Rob said, obviously not convinced. "We searched that place already. He's not there."

"Yeah, I know," I said. It sounded crazy even to me. "But he's back there now. I know it."

We got there a couple of hours later to find that Marie had not yet arrived. I called her again. "Hello," she answered, shouting above the sound of running water.

"It's Jess," I said. "Where are you?"

She didn't answer and for a moment I thought she hadn't heard me. "I'm just running a bath for my little brother," she explained. "But I live close by, so I'll be there soon. Just don't go inside without me." And she hung up.

I thought it was a little odd that she still hadn't left her house yet. I'd called her almost two hours ago and told her we were meeting here. "She said she'll be here soon and not to go in without her," I told Rob. It sounded a little strange to me, but Rob didn't seem to think twice about it.

Marie pulled up in her truck half an hour later to find me and Rob sitting close together on the porch, waiting. "Hey, Jess, Rob," she greeted us.

I'd been dozing off a little, my head resting on Rob's shoulder. At the sound of Marie's cheerful voice, I looked up. _She must live on the outskirts of town_, I thought, _to have gotten here so fast._

Marie suggested we split up so as to search the house better. First, Rob and I went down to the basement to see if Cody was there. He wasn't. . It looked like someone had left quickly. More of the piles of junk had been knocked down and hastily gathered together in an attempt to cover up the fact that someone had been here. I noticed that the unfinished loaf of bread had been eaten. Only a plastic bag and a few crumbs remained. When I pointed this out to Rob, he muttered something about rats eating it. I started to mention that it didn't seem very likely that a rat would eat half a loaf of bread in twenty four hours, but the glare he gave me shut me up quickly.

We decided to search the rest of the house anyway. Rob and I went our separate directions and explored. I wasn't really sure what we were looking for, so I just made a mental note of everything that seemed out of the ordinary. I didn't find anything, so I made my way back over the way Rob had gone. I heard him talking to Marie in a room not far down the hall.

When I got to the doorframe, I froze. I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw Rob and Marie in the room. I saw Marie pull Rob close and cover his lips with hers. My heart cracked in half as I watched them kissing. In a blind rage, I stomped off down the hall and dealt with my anger the only way I knew how. Like an angry toddler, I took it out on the wall. A loud crash sent Rob running out of the room to see if I was alright. I slumped to the floor, unable to stand any longer. Rob grabbed my arm and tried to help me up, but I pushed him away. Perhaps I pushed a little harder than I meant to because he went staggering backwards. Whatever, he deserved it for what he'd done.

Marie came out of the room a little later and walked over to Rob, putting her arm around his waist, something shiny dangling from her pocket. Immediately, he pushed her away, trying to looking disgusted. So that's how he was going to play it. He'd pretend that it never happened. I couldn't believe I'd trusted him and he'd cheated on me. My blood reached boiling temperature and I ran from the house, knocking things over in my haste. I wanted to get as far away from Rob as I possibly could. I ran until my legs collapsed from under me. I fell on the grass and began to sob. Ruth had been right all along. Rob was an asshole. And now I didn't even have my best friend to comfort me. Somehow I'd managed to make her an enemy, too. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, even as a strong, comforting hand was placed on my hip.

"Go away," I managed to say between sobs. He was the last person I wanted to talk to right now.

"Come on, Jess," Rob said. "I didn't do anything. It was Marie. She just-"

"SHUT UP!" I practically yelled in his face. "I don't want to hear it. Just leave me alone."

"But Jess," he pleaded.

"No, just go away."

So he did. He just drove away on his Indian and left me there. That hurt even more. It hurt that he'd just given up and left me stranded there without a way of getting back home.

I lay in that spot, my body shaking violently with anger and heartbreak, for half an hour before I heard the familiar purr of the Indian. I didn't move. Rob came up to me again but didn't try to touch me this time. "C'mon, Jess. I'm taking you home," he said quietly, not giving me a choice this time. His strong arms grabbed me around the waste and no matter how hard I struggled, they wouldn't let me go. I yelled at him and uttered a string of vulgar curses, but he hardly seemed to notice. Rob put me on the back of his motorcycle and offered me the spare helmet. When I didn't take it, he put it gently over my head and sat down in front of me. I wouldn't hold on to his waist. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Even though he realized this, he put his foot on the accelerator and took off. I clung onto him for dear life.

The ride home seemed to take forever. I barely noticed anything that was happening. All I could think about was how he'd betrayed me. Finally, Rob pulled into my driveway and I got off the bike wordlessly. I walked up to the porch and through the front door, not looking back even once.

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Like it, hate it? I need to know. It'd make me really happy. Plus, it'll make me update faster.


	6. Chapter VI

**A/N:** OK, I know I've already changed the color of Rob's eyes once, but I've gotten differing suggestions on his eye color. So, I turned to the expert, Meg Cabot. In the first book of the series, Rob's eyes are described as "so light blue they were really pale gray." So there you are. Rob's eyes may be described as either blue or gray. I don't know where I got brown from. Sorry 'bout that. Thanks to everyone who commented.

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I own nothing from this story. Meg Cabot owns all the characters, which, unfortunately, includes Rob.

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**Chapter VI**

I tossed and turned all night, unable to switch my brain off. My mind was reeling with thoughts of Rob: the day we first met in detention; our first kiss on the back of his bike, I almost fell off I was so surprised; all the times he had saved me in the past; and then tonight, when he'd kissed Marie, betraying my trust.

I couldn't stop myself from pondering the age old question: What does she have that I don't? Sure Marie was older and therefore not jailbait, but I thought Rob hadgottent past that.

Though I hated to admit it, I missed Rob. I missed everything about him. The way his eyes sparkled when he was teasing me; the way he was always there for me when I needed comfort or protection; the way he smiled at me, a sort of half-amused smile. But what I missed most was the familiar comfort of his protective embrace.

I didn't want to hate Rob. I loved him. I still love him. Maybe, I thought, maybe there was more to the situation than what I had seen earlier. But, though I tried, I could not think of a single reason that Rob would be kissing Marie. I mean did he trip and her lips happened to break his fall or something?

Finally, my tired eyes could not remain open any longer and I began to drift into sleep. Only seconds from Dreamland, I was awoken. My phone rang only once before I picked up. I half hoped Rob was calling to explain himself, but the other half of me wasn't ready to talk to him yet. "Hello," I said hesitantly.

It was Ruth. "Jess," she said, worry in her voice.

Typical Ruth. Whenever she got mad at me, she'd call within the week to make up. I was glad it was her. I needed her at this moment more than ever before. "Ruth," I said, interrupting her. "I'm sorry. You were right, I should have shown more enthusiasm and you were right about Rob, too. He-"

"I know who has Cody," she said really fast, cutting me off. Not exactly what I'd expected. I sat quietly, waiting for her to finish. "It-" A loud crash from her end cut off the rest of her sentence and before another word was spoken, the line went dead. All thoughts of Rob left my head as I listened to the dead silence on the other line.

"Ruth," I said quietly. There was no answer. "Ruth!" I was shouting now, waking everyone in my house. My parents rushed into the room. "Something has happened to Ruth," I said before they had a chance to ask. I ran past my parents and my sleepy-looking brothers and out the front door. I sprinted faster than ever before next door to Ruth's house. There were some advantages to having your best friend living right next door. It took less than a minute for me to get there.

All the lights in the house were on. Not even bothering to knock, I pushed the front door open and sprinted into the house. As I'd expected, Ruth was not in her room. Her parents didn't look too surprised to see me. In fact, they barely noticed I was there. They were staring wide-eyed at their daughter's open window. A note was taped to the outside, the envelope blowing in the wind.

I looked at Ruth's parents, silently urging them to go get it, see who had taken Ruth and why. When they didn't move, I went to the window and untaped the note. My name was written on it in blood red ink. My heart skipped a beat as I stared down at the envelope in my hands. Cautiously, I tore it open and quickly unfolded the note within. My eyes filled with involuntary tears as I read what had been written in the same blood red ink from the envelope. The hot tears poured from my eyes and I could do nothing to stop them.

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So sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I needed to try to build some suspense. Hopefully it worked. Look for the next chapter in the next couple of days. As always, please review!


	7. Chapter VII

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long for me to update. I was trying to build the suspense a little after that last chapter. Plus I've been a little busy what with school and stuff. Sadly, only a few more chapters to go.

**Disclaimer: **You know all this by now, but I do not own 1-800-WHERE-R-U. Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll owns it.

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Reading over my shoulder, Ruth's parents gasped.

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND STOP MEDDLING IN MINE OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE YOUR FRIEND AGAIN, the note read. Not a very original message, but it got the point across.

I looked at the two people standing next to me. Somehow they seemed so much older, their wrinkles deeper. Their eyes silently begged me to heed the warning for the safety of their daughter. "Don't worry," I said slowly, hot tears still rolling down my cheek. "I would never do anything to put Ruth in danger."

They thanked me without even saying a word. Silently, I walked out of the house and back to my own bed. My parents were still standing in my doorway, waiting for me to return. They took one look at me and knew that something bad had indeed happened. Without a word, they pulled me close and hugged me tight. Then, somehow sensing that I didn't want to talk about it, they left. I crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over me as if they could hide me from the world. I realized that the note from Ruth's kidnapper was still clutched tightly in my hand. Only now, the ink was smudged with tears.

Soon my tear ducts dried out and I lay there in bed, unable to cry any longer and unable to sleep. I felt powerless, like a small child. And now I had no one to talk to. Ruth had been taken and Rob had betrayed me. There was no one I could turn to. I was all alone.

I lay there listening to the quiet world around me when I heard something. At first I thought it had begun to rain again, but the soft thunk at my window had sounded more like something solid had been thrown at it, like a pebble.

Throwing off the covers, I stepped out of bed and walked slowly to my window as another rock was thrown. Peering through the frost that was now covering the windowpane, I saw a tall dark shadow pick up another pebble and prepare to hurl it up at my window. Then, seeing me, he dropped it and called to me. "Mastriani," a familiar voice called. "Get down here. We need to talk."

I had half a mind to shut the window and go back to sleep, leaving Rob standing alone in the cold, but, ignoring the thought, I strode over to my closet and grabbed a warm jacket. Seconds later I met Rob, who was leaning against a tree in my front yard, waiting.

Wordlessly, we both sat down on his Indian and drove away. This time I held onto him without a fuss. I felt too weak to argue or even care.

He took me to a nearby park and I sat on a swing with him on the one next to me. I remembered how I had loved to swing when I was little. I'd loved the feeling of being high above the world with the wind in my hair. But eventually, no matter how high I swung, I had to come back to the real world and face my problems.

Rob looked into my eyes, red from crying so much and I guess he assumed that I had been crying because of him (and in part I had been) because he looked really sad. "Jess," Rob said quietly. "I'm sorry." When I remained silent, he continued. "I never meant to hurt you. I-" He stopped, then, regaining his courage, he continued. "I love you, Jess."

I was speechless, not that I'd exactly been full of conversation before he'd said those three words I'd always wanted to hear. A smile crept onto my face. Realizing this, I turned away from Rob so he wouldn't see. I didn't want to be one of those girls that, just because their boyfriend said they loved them, would forget everything he'd done. But I guess I was one of those girls because I couldn't stop smiling.

"I love you, too, Rob," I managed to say, turning towards him. His soft gray eyes (A/N: or blue, whichever you prefer.) were full of emotion.

Rob felt the need to tell me what had happened that night anyway. He told me that he'd been examining the room and Marie had walked in. Out of nowhere, she'd pulled him close and kissed him. He'd pushed her away when there was a loud crash, which, I explained, was my foot colliding with the wall. He chuckled, then grabbed my arm and pulled me onto his lap. He covered my lips with his in a soft, tender kiss that was full of love. It lasted only a few seconds before I pulled away. He looked hurt.

"It's not you," I explained. Suddenly the ability to cry returned to me and my eyes swelled up with tears, which ran uncontrollably down my cheeks. "It's Ruth," I managed to say between sobs. My voice sounded high-pitched and squeaky. "She's been kidnapped," I squeaked, pulling the note out of my jacket pocket. He took it and read the message. Putting his arms around me, he pulled me closer, not that we could get much closer than we already were, and held me there. "It's going to be okay," he assured me, caressing my wet cheek with his hand. My sobs ceased, but the tears kept flowing freely. I rested my head on his chest, listening to the quickened rate of his heartbeat.

Exhausted, I fell asleep right there in his arms. I could feel his hands running tenderly through my longish hair. My dreams again returned me to Cody. This time it was as though I was watching from afar rather than seeing it directly from Cody's eyes.

_Tall trees surrounded the small, dark clearing. A small boy lay in the middle of the clearing, his arms and legs bound. Unable to move, he tried to scream for help but found that it was impossible due to the cloth tied tightly around his head and stuffed into his mouth. He lay there, bound and gagged, feeling helpless and scared. Soon his kidnapper would return._

_As if on cue, a bush to his left shook and a dark shadow emerged, carrying a struggling Ruth. By the light of the full moon overhead, I could just make out her features. Long black hair fell below her shoulders and, although most of her face was masked in shadow, her eyes shone brightly. They were a deep brown and in them was something familiar. Realization struck me and I knew who those eyes belonged to._

I sat up suddenly in Rob's lap, startling him. "We have to go," I said to Rob, looking at the moon. It was full and round. Rob looked at me questioningly at first but soon a glint of realization shone in his eyes and he hurried to the Indian. Without even asking me where we were going, he sped off in the direction of the old house from my previous dreams.

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**My chapters seem to be getting shorter and shorter. The next one should be longer. I've got some idea of what's going to happen. I'm sure you're glad to know that Jess will not be going to this house alone. Rob will, of course, be with her as always. It'll probably take a few days to get the next chapter up. If you review (whether it be good or bad or neither) I might be inspired to get the next chapter up. If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate them. Thanks!**


	8. Chapter VIII

**A/N: It's taken me a little while to write this chapter, but it's finally up! I've been a little busy lately so sorry it's taken so long. I've had a lot of stuff going on, including summer school and, well, I admit that I would have plenty of time to write if I didn't fallen asleep immediately upon entering my house. Hehehe. Yeah, I know, I'm pathetic. So, there isn't really a lot of fluff in this chapter (sorry). Stuff'll really start happening in my next chapter assuming it goes as planned. Finally since I know not much has really happened. Just a couple of false alarms on Jess' part. Oh, and Rob making out with Marie, but other than that. I'll try to add a chapter of fluff at the end to satisfy the needs of certain reviewers who shall remain nameless (though there's really no point since you could just look at the reviews and figure out to whom I am referring). I can't believe you're still reading this. Why are you still reading this? Most people would have skipped right past this part and onto the story. Okay, I'm going to stop blabbering on now and get right to the story.**

**Disclaimer: As I'm sure you have noticed by my atrocious writing, I am not Meg Cabot. Therefore, I do not own any of the characters you may recognize from the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series. Characters such as Marie and Cody are figments of my imagination and do not portray anybody I know. At least, I don't think they do. Anyway, please don't sue 'cause I can't pay.**

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**Chapter VIII**

The full moon shone brightly, illuminating the dark, creepy house of my nightmares. But it was no longer the _house_ that I was afraid of. I stared into the deep forest with all of its ominous shadows. The bright moon hung overhead and should have illuminated the forest, but most of the light was blocked by the tall trees that seemed to reach up and up into the sky indefinitely.

As Rob led the way, I swore I could see eyes staring out at me from behind every shadow. And let me tell you, there were plenty of shadows for these mysterious creatures to whom the staring eyes belonged to lurk within.

At the sudden sharp snapping of a twig behind me, I spun around really fast, my heart pounding. I was suddenly face-to-face with the biggest, scariest, darkest, most fearsome… squirrel? A nervous laugh escaped my lips as it smiled up at me, swished its tail playfully, and disappeared into the forest. Some monster. I couldn't believe I'd been afraid of a little squirrel, I mean I'm not one to scare easily. Many a fearless battle has been fought by me (with Rob's help, of course) against evil murderers/kidnappers/spawns of Satan.

Somehow sensing my apprehension, Rob halted. He sat down on a nearby rock and gently patted the spot next to him, inviting me to sit. Gratefully, I took him up on his offer, glad to have a chance to catch my breath. We rested there for some time, taking comfort in each other's company.

Not a sound escaped my alert ears as we sat there. I heard every whisper, every quiet rustle of leaves, every beat of Rob's heart as I lay with my head against his chest, his arms secured protectively around my waist. As my breathing steadied, I remembered the image of my best friend and my boyfriend's cousin lying helplessly in these very woods. They were here somewhere, very nearby. I could feel it. Wordlessly, I stood up and resumed walking, Rob right beside me.

We walked in silence for what seemed like hours before the tense silence was finally broken. There was a snapping of twigs underfoot a short ways behind us. I decided I liked the tense silence better. It was way less creepy. Rob stopped so suddenly that I ran right into him, getting the breath knocked out of my lungs. The silence resumed as though nothing had broken it. Personally, I was relieved to have our beloved silence back. But, as we resumed our search, the all too familiar sound of snapping twigs again reached my ears. Nervous, I quickened my pace only to have our pursuer adjust his to match my own. I only hoped I wasn't running from that damned squirrel again. God, that would be embarrassing. I mean, it was bad enough to have the shit scared out of me by a squirrel once, but twice in one day? Footsteps could be clearly heard in the distance, and they were getting closer by the second. We were being followed, and not by a damned squirrel!

"Stay here," Rob instructed me in a whisper that was barely audible over the sound of my heart pounding against my rib cage. I was sure that our pursuer could hear the pounding of my heart clearly if nothing else. Silently, I grabbed Rob's arm, begging him not to go. "I love you," he whispered softly, his breath warm on my ear, before disappearing into the shadows.

As I stood there alone, my heartbeat practically tripled (which was weird considering it was already going way too fast as it was), but I barely noticed. I was all alone in the dark, scary woods with creatures way more fearsome than some stupid squirrel all around me, staring, waiting for a chance to pounce. Though I hated to admit it, without Rob I was defenseless, the perfect pray for a hungry lion o something. I uttered a forced laugh as I remembered there were no lions in the woods.

I was sure that Rob was somewhere nearby, but how could he protect me when I couldn't even see him? Beads of sweat formed on my nose and dripped down before I could stop them. My palms began to sweat. Wiping them on my faded jeans, I sat down and waited for Rob to come back. As I waited for my love to return, I listened for any wound that would give me a clue as to what was going on, but none came. The night was completely and eerily silent. It was an empty silence that held only my labored breathing. Not another sound could be heard. Even the familiar sounds of the forest had disappeared completely. Chills went up my spine.

After about twenty minutes I was beginning to think Rob had forgotten me. Then I heard the familiar sound of twigs snapping underfoot only a few feet behind me. Relief washed over me and I stood and prepared to run into Rob's protective embrace.

A dark sack was thrown over my head, and a familiar voice whispered menacingly from right beside me. "I warned you," it said.

_Oh, shit!_

That was my last thought before something hard was rammed against my head and I blacked out.

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I awoke in a clearing with the distant sound of rushing water roaring in my ears. _I can't believe you got yourself kidnapped, _I scolded myself silently. _How could you let her outsmart you again? I can't believe you got yourself kidnapped!_

Looking around quickly, I found that my clearing was empty. Ruth and Cody were nowhere to be found. This was not the clearing from my dream, I realized and my heart sank. There had to be hundreds of similar clearings in these enormous woods, and I had no idea which one held my best friend and Cody captive.

My kidnapper was nowhere to be seen either. I couldn't believe she'd just leave me here alone and expect me to stay put. It almost hurt that she had underestimated me so badly. No matter, she'd learn soon enough. Attempting to get up, I stumbled and ended up sprawled on the ground in an undignified manner. The binds on my legs were so tight that I could not even stand up. Of course, my wrists were also bound tightly and I had no hope of loosening the ropes that kept me held hostage in this empty clearing. _Where's Rob?_ I thought miserably. He was always there when I needed him, and, though I hated to ever admit that I needed help, I needed him right now.

In an attempt to pass the time until my kidnapper returned, I tried to familiarize myself with the clearing. This would give me the upper hand if there were to be a struggle, assuming, of course, that I could get out of the ropes that held me captive. I made a mental note of the location of a large, sturdy-looking log, just waiting to be employed as a dangerous weapon if needed. As I began to drift off to sleep (Hey, it'd been a long night!), my brain unconsciously formulated a plan. Okay, so it wasn't much of a plan, but what do you expect from me after I've been brutally bashed over the head with some unknown but very hard object?

Anyway, since I could not get up (I'd tried at least half a dozen times), I decided to crawl away. It was a little demeaning, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Finding that I could not crawl, I began to inch my way out of the clearing, mimicking the motion of an inchworm escaping slowly from its pursuer. But when a hungry eagle decides that she's going to have that inchworm for lunch, its slow inching methods won't save it from its untimely death. Fortunately, the bird did not return until the inchworm had made it safely away. **(A/N: I know it's a little strange for me to be comparing Jess to an inchworm and her kidnapper to an eagle, but just go with it!)**

I inched until my limbs were sore and the roar of rushing water turned into the gentle trickle of a leaky faucet. Only then did I remember something vital to the finding of my best friend. And, of course, my boyfriend's cousin, after all, Rob might not be too happy with me if I saved Ruth but forgot about Cody.

Upon last conversing with the kidnapper, I had heard rushing water in the background. Of course, she had quickly covered, explaining that she was running a bath for her little brother or something like that. I realized that instead of running (or inching actually) away to help Ruth and Cody, I had in fact increased my distance from them leaving them in the company of a vicious kidnapper.

_Great,_ I thought. _Now I'm gonna have to "inch" my way back over there and find some stupid river so I can get conked on the head by that bitch again!_

Ever the optimist, I decided that the best way to remedy my situation was to sit there and sulk about how unfair life was. Why did God have it out for me? I was a good girl. Well, except for that whole getting into fistfights and lying to my parents and… well, all that other stuff I do on a regular basis. Groaning, I began to slowly inch my way back in the direction from which I had come, wincing as the ropes that bound me cut deeper into my already torn, bloody skin.

I stopped. The pain was too much. And besides, what help could I be if I was all tied up? The only purpose my going back could serve was to get me rekidnapped. Or worse.

As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, a familiar sound sent chills up my spine and I tried to hide as someone came near, but I collapsed on the cold ground, unable to move another millimeter.

"Mastriani?" came a voice I was relieved to hear.

"Rob!" I shouted. Or at least, I would have. Fortunately, the gag in my mouth did serve one useful purpose. My shouting would have alerted our foe to our exact position and, though I'm sure she couldn't have taken both of us in a fair fight, it would ruin the element of surprise that we now possessed.

He rushed to my side and examined my wrists. Blood flowed from the places where the rope had torn my skin. I realized what a mess I must look. My hair was a huge mess due to the sack having been thrown over it and the sweat clinging to it, my limbs were tied up, and my mouth was gagged with a rag that tasted of mud and something else that I could not recognize, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know what that something else was anyway.

Rob first removed the gag and I gulped in air as if I'd spent the last half hour under water instead of in a clearing with easy access to a whole woods' worth of fresh air. Then, pulling a pocket knife out of the pocket of his jeans **(A/N: He's quite the Boy Scout isn't he? _Semper paratus,_ which, for those of you who aren't taking Latin, means "Always prepared," the motto of the Boy Scouts of America. BTW, my little brother is in Boy Scouts if you couldn't tell from my ramblings.)**, he set to work cutting through the ropes that bound my wrists.

After Rob had finished untying the ropes that bound me, I rubbed my sore limbs and applied pressure to my wounds to slow the bleeding. Ripping off pieces of my discarded gag, Rob bandaged my wrists, his hands gently caressing my own as he wrapped the dirty material around my injured wrists.

I stood up only to end up sprawled back on the ground yet again. Rob knelt beside me and brushed my hair out of the way so he could see the gash on my head where that bitch had hit me. It was worse than I had expected and blood flowed, unyielding, through the open wound. "It's fine," I assured him (even though it wasn't), getting up to prove it. Though I felt a little dizzy, I tried not to let it show. I didn't need Rob worrying about me right now. Besides, the blood flow was already starting to slow.

After almost an hour, Rob and I were squatting nearby a different clearing, plotting. Cody and Ruth were both in sight, sitting, bound and gagged, at the center of the glade. A small river snaked through the clearing and into the forest beyond. Funny how I hadn't even known there was a river here. I wondered where it emptied into since there were no large bodies of water I knew of near here. But I had more important things to worry about.

There was another presence in the clearing. Marie sat there in a huff after having found that I'd escaped (yeah, like a few ropes were going to stop me!), watching over her two victims, guarding them from their supposed rescuers. "Marie!" Rob whispered angrily at me. "Marie did all this. I knew she couldn't be trusted. Why didn't you tell me. That-" I shushed him.

We watched her for a few minutes, planning our next move. Rob was muttering under his breath. As she sat there all alone in the clearing, I voiced my thoughts quietly to Rob. "There's only one of her and two of us. Plus, she's totally not that tough. I mean, I could have taken her on single handedly if she hadn't snuck up on me like that. But now we have the element of surprise so I say we just-" Rob put a finger to his lips, signaling for me to shut up. So I did.

In a voice so soft that I could hardly hear him he said, "She's not alone."

And sure enough, just as these words were spoken, a group of people walked into the clearing and sat around Marie, ready to protect her. We were outnumbered. There must have been ten people there counting Marie to the two of us, four if you counted Cody and Ruth, who were tied up and wouldn't be of much help. What we needed was a plan.

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**A/N: Originally, there was more to this chapter, but I decided to split it up into two chapters in a desperate attempt to create a feeling of suspense. I'm beginning to love cliffies. I get so many more reviews begging me for an update. BTW, those reviews totally work. I will update within the next couple of days if I get a satisfactory number of reviews. So please, review. I can't stand to make you guys wait for too long. Besides, I just love posting new chapters for everyone to read. Anyway, all you have to do is click that cute little purple button down there and tell me what you think. Or, if you feel the need to lie so as not to hurt my feelings, then do so, though I'd really prefer to hear what you really think of my writing.**


	9. Chapter IX

**A/N: Finally, chapter nine is up! It's been a little while, but I was working through some writers block. As always, thank you to my wonderful reviewers. And those of you who read this but haven't left a review, please please please leave one for this chapter. It'll make me happy. **

**I hope you like this chapter. It was kind of hard for me to write. I don't want to give anything away, but I _think_ one of the characters may die in the next chapter. Dun dun dun! I haven't decided yet though, so don't get mad at me or anything. Obviously, I'm not going to kill Rob. He's way too hot to die. I couldn't live with myself if I killed Rob and some of my readers might form an angry mob and track me down and… well, you get the picture.**

**Disclaimer: OK, obviously you can tell by now that I am not Meg Cabot! Therefore, I do not own any of the characters or the plot from 1-800-WHERE-R-U. So please don't sue! As I said before, I can't pay.**

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**Chapter IX**

The light from the dying fire illuminated the terrifying faces of the nine strong-looking men sitting round the fire, waiting. _Waiting for me,_ a voice in the back of my brain said. I wondered how Rob and I could manage to overpower nine men and Marie by ourselves? We were outnumbered. We needed help. But from whom? Rob's friends from Chick's had helped get us out of a tough situation before, but the odds of them showing up now were slim to zero. As far as I knew, they weren't even aware of our situation.

A soft breeze cooled the back of my sweaty neck and brought snippets of conversation to my ears. "…better get here soon," a gruff, masculine voice whispered.

I looked at the man who had spoken. His dark eyes sparkled as if they held a secret. What it was I couldn't figure out just by looking at him, but I was sure it was not pleasant, or legal.

The voice of Marie, dripping with disdain, answered him. "She'll show…if she doesn't...her friend."

My breath caught in my throat as I realized that they were talking about me. If I didn't act quickly, my best friend would be no more. And it would be all my fault. I couldn't live with that. Being responsible for the death of my best friend I mean.

Feeling eyes on me, I turned to Rob, who looked very concerned. Draping a protective arm around me, he pulled me closer until I could feel his warm breath on my ear. "Everything will be alright," he assured me. "I've got a plan."

I believed him. I couldn't help it. I really did believe that everything would be okay. Like he could do no wrong. Could any guy really be that perfect? He'd broken my heart before. Even if he hadn't meant to. Regardless, I visibly relaxed.

I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was the feeling of hope finally returning to my hopeless state. But the next thing I knew I had pulled Rob close and was kissing him gently on the lips, my hands roaming of their own free will through his long hair. He really needed a haircut.

At first, he was a little hesitant, but then Rob gave in and kissed me back. Our situation completely dissolved and all that was left was me and Rob. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

A minute later, we pulled apart. Cool air rushed into all the places Rob's body had touched mine, making me shiver. I looked up at Rob, who was grinning. Then all the events of the past few nights returned to me. How could he be grinning at a time like this? Cody and Ruth were in danger and we needed to save them!

Seeing me frowning back at him, he suddenly seemed to remember what was going on too. His grin was replaced with a look of extreme worry and compassion. I realized how hard it must be for him to have his cousin trapped, helpless so nearby and he couldn't do anything about it. I knew how that felt.

The same helplessness filled took control of my mind as I watched the dark form of Ruth, her stomach heaving as she sucked in forced breaths despite the gag that was not only covering her mouth but also her nose. It was time to put Rob's plan into action.

Without a word, he got up and tiptoed quietly through the trees, keeping low so as not to be seen. He stopped and looked back at me, giving me the signal to follow him.

Confused, I repeated his actions, ducking behind trees and quietly making my way over to where he stood waiting. Only my movements were not quite as graceful as Rob's, and I stumbled over the roots of a large tree, nearly landing in an undignified heap on the ground. Fortunately, I caught myself just in time. But not before I'd made a racket I was sure Marie had heard.

I stood still, breathing erratically, expecting strong, hostile arms to surround me and drag me into the clearing. Slowly, I opened one eye and looked around. There was no one there. I stood up straight then remembered that only a few yards away was a kidnapper and ducked back down. Looking into the clearing, I saw that the group had continued on as if nothing had happened. I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried quietly to where Rob was waiting.

"Mastriani," he said warningly. I looked up. Worry was etched in his expression. It was nice to know he truly cared for me. Even loved me. Despite my close encounter with death, I smiled.

Straining my ears, I could still pick up a few whispered words from the men around the campfire. They were saying something about a murder. "Jake," I heard one of them say. Jake had been murdered? Who was Jake, another one of Marie's victims? Oh, what did it even matter when Ruth and Cody could easily become her next victims if I didn't act quickly.

But what could I do?

I still couldn't believe that the girl in that clearing was the same person we'd met only a week ago.**A/N: I really have no idea what the time span will have been by now, but a week sounds good to me ).** I'd begun to trust her. It was nice having someone who shared my talent, if you could call it a talent. She really seemed to know what it was like. It felt like for the first time someone actually understood me. Well, besides Rob of course. I wondered if it had all been a lie. A cover-up. I doubted that she really was psychic.

An angry yell snapped me out of my reverie. I turned towards Rob, confused. Instead I was looking at the tree Rob had been leaning against only a moment before, looking sexy. My eyes darting frantically around, I saw that Rob was no longer with me. Glancing quickly into the clearing, I finally understood his master plan.

He'd walked right into the clearing, catching the attention of all nine men and Marie. Then, he'd run in the other direction, away from the clearing and away from me. All nine of Marie's minions had followed him. He'd created a diversion. Only, I wished he'd have created a diversion that was not at his expense. He couldn't outrun them forever. Eventually, he'd have to stop and fight them. And he was outnumbered nine to one.

My heart ached as I realized that he knowingly sacrificed his own well being for Cody, Ruth, and for me. Tears rushed into my eyes, and I fought to hold them back.

I waited until the angry yells of the men subsided in the distance and looked back into the clearing. Marie was the only one left to guard the captives. Rob sure was good at creating distractions. At least this time he hadn't blown up a government helicopter.

Quietly, I snuck into the clearing, hoping not to alert Marie to my presence until I was right behind her and there was nothing she could do. I grabbed a short stick that was so thick it could have been used as a club. That was the role it would soon play if all went according to plan. But my plans were squashed when she turned around, noticing me right away.

"I knew you'd come," she said calmly. "You just couldn't leave your precious Rita here to die."

"Ruth," I corrected her immediately. Marie looked stunned. "Her name's Ruth," I repeated.

"Oh, what does it matter," Marie said, recovering right away. "You're too late anyway."

My eyes dashed immediately to look at the form of Ruth, lying in the middle of the clearing next to Cody. They were both breathing steadily. What was she talking about? It looked as if they had only been knocked out. Seeing the confused expression on my face, she gestured towards the two captives, urging me to look closer.

Upon further inspection, I found out that although they were both indeed alive, they may not remain that way for long. Their water supply had been poisoned. Perhaps Ruth and Cody had been too thirsty to notice or even to care because their water bottles, which were the same brand as those we'd found inside the basement, were completely empty. Marie snickered. My hands balled up into fists at my side, my right one still clutching the club-stick.

I stalked over to Marie, my stance deceivingly calm, although inside I was seething with rage. As I came near, Marie opened her mouth to say more, but before she could utter a single syllable, I drew my fist back and sent it flying into her nose. A satisfying crack told me that my punch had had the desired effect. However, I did not expect her next move.

Blood gushing from her broken nose, she reached into her pocket and drew a pistol. I froze, terrified. Then, she did something even more surprising. She pointed it into the woods. This seemed quite odd. Why wasn't she pointing it at me? Or even at Ruth or Cody? Then I realized that I had failed to hear Rob approaching from behind, the metal pole I'd seen in my clearing clutched in his hand.

Seeing the gun, Rob stopped mid-step. Why couldn't I have been more aware of my surroundings? I couldn't believe that I had not noticed Rob. Not that I could have really done anything about it, but it just felt like it was entirely my fault.

I found myself unable to move, help, and even to think. Marie was threatening the person who meant the most to me. I hated her. I hated her more than I'd ever hated anybody before. It was amazing how much hate could exist inside one person, especially a short sixteen-year old girl such as myself. I felt as if I would burst any second from the hostile feelings bubbling up inside me.

The three of us stood there for a moment, motionless. Silence threatened to devour us all. Then Marie cackled menacingly, breaking the silence. Her laugh had been perfected to match the laugh of all the villains I had ever seen on television. It was completely different from the laugh I remembered. That day at Chick's, we'd had plenty of laughs. Marie giggled playfully as one of the bikers came up to her, asking if she wanted a ride on the back of his motorcycle. I remembered how Marie had loved motorcycles almost as much as I did.

It felt as if the girl standing in front of me had murdered my friend, which, in a way, I guess she had. How had I been fooled so easily by her act? I guess people can be so desperate for someone to talk to, to understand them, that they'll overlook all the obvious signs. Marie was the only one besides Rob who knew that I knew where Cody was and, coincidentally, every time she'd been alerted, it seemed as if Cody had been hastily relocated. It was official, I'm an idiot.

"I thought you'd come around to my way of thinking." Marie's voice was dripping with hate as she looked from me to Rob and back. I doubted it could even compare to the hate that was bubbling up inside of me. I almost let it take over control of my body, but for Rob's sake, I suppressed it, settling for a quiet string of curses under my breath. I decided that my only choice was to play along, like a good little girl.

"What do you want?" I snarled, defeated.

The smile on her face widened, and I just wanted to wipe it off. "I want you to find someone for me," she said. Then she waited as I considered her offer. I didn't have much choice, so I agreed.

"Sure," I whispered. "Anything."

Seeing I was finally ready to cooperate, Marie lowered her weapon and beckoned to Rob. "Come," she called out to him. "Join us."

Rob walked slowly over to us and sat down next to me. Taking my hand in his protectively, he looked into Marie's eyes. "No," he said.

"No?" she asked quietly. "Well, okay, if that's the way you feel." With those words, she pulled out her pistol again and pointed it straight at me. Rob's defiant smile faded and he caved in. He didn't even hesitate for a moment.

"We're going to need a name and a picture," he said quietly.

Marie smiled but did not lower her weapon. Without braking eye contact with Rob, she pulled out an old photograph and handed it to me. It was old with large creases through the majority of the picture. The corners were dulled and yellowing. The face of a boy about Rob's age peered out at me as I smoothed it down, straightening the wrinkles. "Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" Marie asked, the comical expression never leaving her face.

"Why do you need me to find him?"

"That's for me to know," she whispered confidently, "and you to never find out. Just find him if you want to get out of here alive."

"And Ruth?" I asked. Marie shook her head. "What about Cody?" Again, she shook her head. I could feel Rob's grip on my hand tighten with rage. I squeezed it, trying to reassure him. I didn't know how I was going to save them, but I knew that I had to.

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That's how, ten minutes later, I was in a small shack in the woods furnished with only a small, hard bed, alone. They'd separated Rob and me, despite Rob's furious arguments, by simply pulling out Marie's gun. Notice I said "they." Yeah, the stupid minions were back. I wondered briefly how Rob had lost them, but they didn't seem too bright, so I didn't worry about it.

I lay down on the uncomfortable bed listening to the gruff voices of the men outside. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Marie had put guards outside the door. Like I was going anywhere without my best friend, the love of my life, and his cousin!

Try as I might, I could not get to sleep. I lay on the bed, trying to shut off my brain, which was working overtime trying to find a way to escape. I knew of only one way, to find this boy Marie seemed so intent on me locating.

I pulled out the picture and wondered if this was the boy they'd been talking about earlier, Jake. Maybe Marie hadn't _killed_ Jake. Maybe she was _planning_ to kill Jake. Either way, I didn't want Marie to find him, but what was one life compared to the four of ours? It felt so wrong to think that, like I was betraying this boy I'd never even met, condemning him to death. But what was I supposed to do?

Tucking the photograph under the old, coffee-stained pillow, I closed my eyes and tried again to let sleep take me. But it wouldn't come.

Finally, I got up, deciding it was useless to everyone to just have me lay there, and went over to the rotting wooden door. I knocked. I know it's customary to knock when you're _entering _a room, not leaving one, but I didn't just want to barge out there. These guys had guns!

The door was immediately flung open by a bored-looking guard. He was the only one (guard, that is) as far as I could see. Looking into his eyes, I saw a difference between him and the others. In his eyes was a gleam of innocence, which made me wonder if he was here guarding my door by choice, or if he was being forced to. I smiled, a genuine smile despite the circumstances.

The guard just looked at me like I was insane. Maybe I am. So what? "I can't get to sleep," I said in my best good-girl voice. His expression changed to one of yeah-right-what-do-you-think-I-was-born-yesterday. My smile faded as I saw that this guard, although not as criminal as the others, was not at all sympathetic towards my situation.

I tried again. "Could I just see Rob, please?" I said. When the look on his face did not fade, I quickly added, "It'll make me get to sleep faster."

The guard sighed, obviously tired of this conversation. He looked around quickly to see if anyone was nearby. Seeing that the coast was clear, he leaned in closer and prepared to whisper something quietly to me.

I was good. He was going to let me see Rob! My girlish charm had not been wasted on this guard. Or, so I thought. Then I heard what he whispered, which was "No." Then he closed the door firmly in my face before turning back to his post. So this guard had a sense of humor, did he? Well, I tried to do it the easy way, but obviously he wanted the hard way.

I banged loudly on the doors, shouting, and hoping that soon he would grow tired of my antics and let me just see Rob. But though I pounded until my knuckles were torn and splintered, he did not budge on his decision.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the bed and closed my eyes, letting sleep take me.

An hour or so later, I woke up and I knew.

What did I know, you might ask? Well, no, I did not know Jake's location (if it even was Jake). I knew where they were keeping Rob. Yeah, I dreamed not of the poor boy who would soon be victim to what I thought would be a very bloody murder, but of my hunky boyfriend, who really wasn't in any danger as of yet. Marie wouldn't dare hurt him, for if she did, I would not cooperate. My life meant nothing without Rob. I'd told her so earlier in the week. I'd entrusted my deepest secrets to her and how had she repaid me? She'd pointed a gun in my face!

Anyway, I knew that Marie would not exactly be thrilled with my discovery, since it was not the one she'd wanted, so I decided to keep it a secret. I'd tell her a half-truth, that I had not dreamed of this boy she wanted me to find. I would, of course, conveniently forget to mention my dream about Rob.

So, when Marie appeared in my doorway a few minutes later, I knew exactly what to say.

"So?" she said, her voice cold.

"Well, I tried," I replied innocently.

"You tried," she repeated, like she didn't believe it. I gave her a half smile. "Well," she said confidently, "you'd better try harder. Your friend doesn't have much time left."

I wanted to punch her. Again. I wanted to wipe that grin off her face and make her pay. But what could I do when she was holding all the cards? All the cards except one. Well, half a card really. I knew where Rob was but not how to get to him. I guess that would count as half a card. But Marie didn't need to know that.

"I'll try," I promised her. Yeah right. I'd come to the conclusion that the solution to my problem was not to betray this Jake but to find my own way out. How to do that, I had no idea, but I had a little bit of time left. I think.

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**I guess this would qualify as a cliff-hanger, but I couldn't think of anything else to write in this chapter! And it's 8 pages on Word, so it's not exactly short. It's taken me a few days to write it. Usually it takes like 20 minutes!**

**Please comment. It'll make me update so much faster. And we're finally getting to the good parts, too!**

**Love,**

**Tennisgurl**


	10. Author's Note

Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. Just thought I'd pop in and let u know I haven't forgotten about "Another." It's just that I've been really, really busy lately. You know, that whole school thing and all. And, though I thought about it, I figured it probably wasn't a good idea to just skip and stay home to write all day. My parents might not have been so crazy about that idea. Can't imagine why. But I did start writing chapter X in health class a couple weeks ago. Just don't tell Mrs. T! So I have started. Don't kill me! Plus, on my time off, I've been reading the works of other wonderful authors on fanfiction and getting lots of ideas. So hopefully the next chapter will be worth the wait. I don't want to give anything away just yet, so just look for my update within the month. I'll probably just replace this chapter so I don't know if you'll get an alert or not. Never really tried it before… And obviously updates will be few and far between for a while until I get a break from school. And tennis. Tournaments every weekend don't leave a lot of time to write. Again, so sorry, but it's not entirely my fault.

Love,

TennisGurl


	11. Chapter X

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've been concentrating on my other fics. In fact, I wouldn't have updated this if it weren't for Ludwina, who promised she would "get REALLY REALLY angry" if I didn't. And I wouldn't want that. This chapter is dedicated to Ludwina for inspiring me to continue with this story. Thanks so much!**

**Oh, and since it's been so long, you might need a summary of what's happened. I actually had to go back and read the whole thing so I could remember what was going on. :D So here's just a rough outline.**

**Rob takes Jess to his Uncle Randy's wedding. That night Jess, who hasn't dreamed about a missing person in nearly a year, dreams that she is locked in a basement, tired, hurt, and drugged. Since she believes her powers to be gone, she ignores the dream. However, Rob calls with bad news. After the reception party from the night before, Cody went missing. The next night, Jess dreams of Cody again, and this time she tells Rob and they go to a house a ways outside the city, to the basement from Jess' dreams. However, Cody is not there. As they are leaving, they run into a girl. She explains that her name is Marie and she's a psychic who dreamed about a boy hidden in the basement of this house. Jess, shocked and overjoyed to have someone who understands her, immediately becomes friends with Marie. Later, Jess sees Marie and Rob kissing and gets jealous and heartbroken. Cee Cee is kidnapped and a note is left for Jess, telling her to mind her own business or else. Eventually, Jess believes Rob when he tells her Marie kissed him, not the other way around. That night, after another dream, Jess and Rob go the the woods next to the house in which Cody had originally been held. There, Jess and Rob get captured by (dun dun dun) Marie.**

**I think that about catches us up...So without further ado, I present _Another_: Chapter X.**

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**Chapter X**

"Rob," I whispered through the open window. I peered past the metal bars into the darkness. "Rob," I whispered again, and this time I heard him stir.

"Jess? Is that you?" he whispered back. His voice seemed to be coming from the far corner of the room.

"Yes."

There was a slight movement within and then he was there, his hands gripping the bars between us. "How'd you get here?" he asked.

"It wasn't easy," I said, smiling at the memory. "The guards change ever hour," I told him. "They lock the door, so it's not a big deal to them if they leave a minute or two early." I dug into my pocket. "I used this to pick the lock," I informed him, holding up a paperclip I'd found under the bed. "It wasn't easy in the dark."

"Brilliant," he breathed. "They underestimate you, Mastriani."

I was glad for the darkness, as it hid my blush. Smiling, I reached through the door to touch his face. I held his head between my hands, running my thumbs gently over his cheeks. "I had to see you," I told him.

In the sparse light from the moon, I saw him smile. "How'd you know where to find me?" he asked. Then, seeing the look on my face, he said, "Oh, right."

For a moment we just stood there, enjoying each other's company. I wondered how long I had before they knew I was missing.

"Did you find him?" Rob asked. It took me a second to figure out whom he was talking about.

"No," I said, pulling the photograph from the pocket of my jeans. "I'm not sure I want to," I admitted.

I knew Rob understood, even though he remained silent. I couldn't condemn the poor boy in this photograph to death.

"You could pretend you did," Rob whispered suddenly. "Give them a fake address or something."

"It'd never work, though," I said. "She'd check and then if he wasn't there—" I didn't want to think about it. "She wouldn't just let us go before she checked."

"Yeah," he agreed. "You're right, but what can we do?"

There was silence as we both tried—and failed—to answer this question. Finally, Rob broke the silence.

"You know," he whispered. "You're out. You can leave."

I gasped at the thought. "I couldn't leave you here! And what about Cody and Ruth? I could never just—"

"I know," he said, cutting me off. There was a pause before he spoke again. "Jess—" he began. But he was cut off as a key turned in the lock. Quickly, I pulled my hands through the bars and ducked down below the window. I heard Rob dash back across the room. The old bed creaked slightly as he lay back down.

A second later, the door opened, and I heard someone speak softly. "Your girlfriend's not cooperating," said Marie. "Think she might consider rethinking it if your life depended on it?"

"No," said Rob angrily. "She's not going to play your little game."

"Oh, really?" Marie's voice held a hint of amusement. "Well, I think she might. Drink this."

"No way."

"Drink it now or I'll shoot your cousin," she threatened.

_Don't drink it, Rob, don't drink it_, I pleaded silently. But I knew without a doubt that he would. Rob would never put his cousin's—or anybody else's—life in danger if he could help it.

"Good," said Marie. "Now come on."

They were going to go back to the cabin in which I was supposed to be held captive, I realized. And yet here I was, squatting beneath the window only a few yards away. This was not good.

As soon as I heard the door close behind them, I straightened up and sprinted back to my cabin. I shuddered to think what would happen if they beat me there.

Fortunately, the guards were switching again, and the current guard left just as the cabin came into view. He walked swiftly away, probably thinking I was fast asleep inside anyway.

When he had gone, I ran out from behind some bushes and threw open t he door, which the previous guard had evidently not even bothered to lock. For a moment, I was insulted by this lack of belief in my ability to escape, but then I heard someone approaching.

I hurtled myself hastily onto the bed, which creaked a little under the sudden weight. But no one came in. It must have just been the other guard coming. I breathed a sigh of relief.

But my relief quickly turned to fear as I heard the sound of someone approaching yet again. It sounded as if there were two people coming. There was one set of heavy footsteps, slowly making their way towards the cabin. It sounded as if her companion was being dragged, leaves rustling as his feet were dragged past.

"Come on!" shouted an angry Marie. "Pick up your feet and walk!"

I couldn't hear Rob's reply, but the dragging sound continued. I realized that Rob was trying to buy me time by slowing Marie down.

I coughed loudly, hoping to discreetly signal to Rob that I had made it back already. The dragging sound stopped and there were now two sets of footsteps.

I sat up in bed as the door was flung open a second later. "Jessica Mastriani," said Marie with distaste. I squinted in the darkness, trying to find Rob, but he was not there. "Have you fulfilled my request?" When I was silent, she continued angrily. "Well, this just won't do. I've brought you something that might change you mind." She turned away from me, toward the door. "Mikey, darling," she called. "Come in here please."

A man I recognized as one of the guards walked in, pulling Rob by his shirt collar. The man flipped the light on and walked over to Marie, whispering something into her ear. She nodded and turned back to me.

But I wasn't looking at Marie. I was looking at the guard incredulously.

"Michael?" I asked in disbelief. I hadn't recognized him in the dark, but now his face was illuminated and I realized that I knew him. "Michael Wilson!"

Marie looked from me to the guard and back. "You two know each other?" she asked.

Michael nodded. "I know her friend, remember?" he said to Marie.

"Oh yeah," she said. "I remember now."

"You kidnapped Ruth!" I accused Michael. "You were supposed to be her boyfriend!" My anger was reflected in every word, but Michael hardly seemed to notice.

Unfazed, he answered, "Yes, it was easy to get her to trust me. And if I couldn't get close to her, our plan never would have worked, now would it?"

I didn't answer him. What was he talking about? What was their plan exactly?

Seeing my confused look, he continued. "I'm disappointed," he said. "I thought you would've figured it out by now." When I was silent, he decided to explain."

"Haven't you even wondered why you're here?"

"You wanted me to find someone," I said.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "Obviously. But why would we need you _here_ for that? Why would we need the others? It would have been so much easier for Marie just to ask you to do that herself." He sighed. "I thought you were smarter than this. I really am disappointed."

He had let go of Rob, who walked to the bed and sat next to me, grabbing hold of my hand tightly.

"Everything was going perfectly, according to plan," Michael said proudly. "The only thing left was to k—"

"Mikey," interrupted Marie. "Maybe we shouldn't be telling them this."

"Nonsense," he said, disregarding her concern. "It's not like they can get away now." He paused. "Now where was I? Oh yes. All was going according to plan…"

Rob's hand slipped from mine and I looked to him, worried. He was slumped over next to me, fighting to stay upright.

"Rob!" I shouted in shock, not caring that I'd cut Michael off mid-sentence. But he didn't seem to care. He just went on, as if there hadn't been an interruption at all.

"We had him alone, cornered," Michael went on as I helped Rob to lie down. "Till that kid walked in." Rob closed his eyes and I grabbed his hand in my own. He squeezed it weakly and I knew he'd been drugged with the same substance as Ruth and Cody. "Jake was completely defenseless. We woulda had him!" Michael roared, angry now. "But the boy came in and he saw us." I was only half paying attention. I got up and retrieved the bottle of water I'd been given a few hours ago. It was almost empty, but I emptied the remainder of the water into Rob's mouth.

"Damn kid started screaming his head off," Marie piped in, evidently over her momentary concern about telling me all of this. "We turned around for one second and Jake's gone!"

"He's damned fast," Michael agreed.

"Fortunately, no one heard the kid," Marie continued. "And he won't be telling anyone now…"

Rob groaned meekly. I hadn't realized until then that the kid they were talking about was Cody. Then I remembered him walking in on us at Randy's wedding. That kid sure had a knack for bursting in on things he shouldn't see. But he'd also inadvertently saved this Jake from being murdered, so it couldn't be all bad.

"Jake went into hiding," Marie said. "We looked for days, but it was like he'd vanished. Of course, there was one person who could find him," she added. "I'd heard all about you, Lightning Girl."

Rob's grip on my hand loosened and then his hand went limp altogether. I knew he'd gone unconscious.

"And then you showed up there at the house, looking for the boy," Marie continued. "That's when I realized I could use you. So I made up that stupid psychic story. I couldn't believe it was so easy. And then you informed me every time you were going to look for the boy. It was so easy just to move him."

Shame bubbled up inside of me. It was all true. I'd just trusted her right away, just because she'd said she was a psychic. Even when it was so obvious she was lying.

"So I called Michael and told him all about it. How I had made friends with Lightning Girl. I figured it'd be all too easy to just tell you Jake was my little brother and he had run away or something like that and you'd go off and bring him right to me. I just needed you to keep trusting me, to prolong the moment you found Cody. So I asked Mike to kidnap your friend and leave that threatening little note. Of course, I'd made the mistake of thinking you'd actually head the warning. But you didn't know about me, so no matter. I could still get you to help me.

"But then you saw me with your boyfriend here," she said, motioning to the unconscious form of Rob. "I'd slipped and left this in the house." She showed me a silver bracelet with MARIE written across it. I remembered that after she'd kissed Rob I'd seen it hanging out of her pocket. I hadn't even given it a second thought till now.

"And you couldn't let us find your bracelet in the house," I finished for her. "So you distracted Rob until you could get it."

Marie looked pleased. "Brilliant, wasn't it? But it presented a little problem."

"You needed me to trust you so I'd find Jake for you," I said.

"Yes," she confirmed. "I needed you to take pity on the poor big sister who'd driven her brother to run away. Or so I'd tell you. And, of course, you'd ask me why I couldn't find him myself, so I'd tell you I couldn't sleep and, therefore, couldn't dream."

Michael smiled. "She thinks of everything," he said proudly.

"But you wouldn't find him for me after you saw me kissing your precious Rob," she repeated. "So I needed to motivate you somehow. It wasn't difficult. We just called up a few friends" I thought of all the men that had helped them "and set up a trap for you and your boyfriend."

"You fell right into our trap," Mike said unnecessarily.

"And now here we are," Marie finished.

I was speechless. How could I have been so stupid? The signs were there all the time.

"Now, you'd better cooperate," Ruth threatened. "Or else they'll all be dead in a few hours. Rob, Rita, and the kid," she clarified, getting Ruth's name wrong yet again. She pulled a small glass vial out of her jacket. "And only this antidote can save them. Now, are you going to do as I asked?"

"Yes," I said, defeated. What choice did I have?

Satisfied, Marie and Michael left the room, locking the door behind them and leaving me alone with Rob, who was still unconscious. I watched him sadly and laid down next to him.

"I won't let you die," I whispered to him. "I promise."

I pulled the picture of Jake out of my pocket, took a good long look at it, and closed my eyes.

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**Hope it was good...I know it's been forever. I promise the next update won't take a whole year...:D I'll try to have it up in a couple weeks if I get at least five reviews.**

**Sorry to make you guys wait so long. Hope people are still reading this...**

**Love,**

**Maddie**


	12. Chapter XI

**A/N: I wrote this faster than I thought I would...Well, that's good I guess. I actually had it finished yesterday, but fanfiction wasn't working...So anyway, here it is. It's fairly short (Just under 2000 words)...The next chapter should be longer though. Oh, and you'll probably figure this out, but this is Jess's "dream". Remember, she's trying to find Jake. Let me know if you guys need another summary or something because I know it's been a long time...**

**Disclaimer: Not mine!! All characters property of Meg Cabot.**

**Mentions: Hmm...I only got 3 reviews on my last chapter...Well, anyway, thank you to Ludwina, AubreyLove, and Nicole for sticking with me. I hope some other people start reading this again...I know it's my fault for not updating in a very very long time.**

**Anyway, w/o further ado...Another: Chapter XI. Remember, this is Jess's dream.**

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**Chapter XI**

**_Jess's Dream_**

The air was heavy and unbearably warm, even at 8:00 in the morning. I hit the little alarm clock that was blaring out some strange, foreign sound, but it did not stop. The horrible sound wouldn't let me sleep, so I yanked the plug from the wall and threw the clock across the room. It hit the opposite wall, where it smashed into a hundred pieces and fell to the floor with a loud crash. Maybe now I could get some sleep.

I had just closed my eyes when the sound returned. How was that possible? _Stupid, possessed clock_, I thought miserably. I was exhausted. Reluctantly, I swung my legs off the bed onto the hard wood floor. I yawned widely and stood up. The sound was closer now, as if it was coming from right outside my window.

I crossed to the little window and pulled up the shade. Huge red eyes stared back at me, and I nearly screamed. Then I realized that the eyes belonged to a really big red bird. It opened its beak and that horrible, unfamiliar sound came out.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" it screeched.

_Ugh! What an ugly bird_, I thought. Why couldn't it leave me alone?

I decided to scare it off so that maybe I could go back to sleep. I opened the window and waved my hand out it, an action that would have frightened any normal bird. This one, however, ignored the action completely. There was a broom near the window. I grabbed it and stuck it out the window, intending to knock the darn thing off the windowsill. It sidestepped the broom and continued to screech.

What was wrong with this big ugly red chicken? I yawned again and decided that I didn't care. It could—and probably would—scream its head off if it wanted to. I pulled the window shut and put the shade back down.

The bird continued to screech, of course, so I went back to the bed and pressed the pillow over my ear. I could still hear the awful sound, but it was quiet enough that I could ignore it and get back to sleep.

When I awoke again, it was to t he smell of eggs and bacon. I got out of bed eagerly, starving, and walked to the small kitchen.

"Hey," I greeted my uncle, who was standing at the stove, scrambling eggs in his pajamas. I sat at the table to wait until he had finished.

"Howdy, Sleepy Head!" he replied. "I'm surprised Jack didn't wake you."

"Who's Jack?" I asked, though I didn't really care.

"Jack's our rooster," he explained, using the plural although it'd been just him at the ranch since Aunt Ellen had died last year. "He wakes us up every morning at exactly eight o'clock. Smart bird," he said proudly, as if Jack were his own child.

So that ugly red chicken had a name. What was a rooster anyway and why would anyone _want_ to be woken up by one every morning? I remembered the horrible sound. Cock-a-doodle-doo! I thought of the alarm clock, just a prop apparently. Well, now it was smashed into a hundred pieces.

"Ya hungry, Jake?" my uncle asked.

"Uh huh. Thanks, Uncle Henry."

He set a plate in front of me. It was piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits. Starved, I dug in. He set a plate down for himself and sat across from me. I shoveled food into my mouth quickly, something my own parents would have frowned upon. But I was starving. I hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. I'd had to get out of town fast.

"Mmm..."

"Ya like that?" my uncle asked in his thick southern accent. "Those eggs are fresh," he announced proudly without waiting for a response.

I nodded, my mouth too full to answer. I settled for another "Mmm."

"We get all this fresh from the farm," he bragged. "Best in the county."

I nearly choked on the eggs. These had been laid just this morning? It seemed so unsanitary. And this bacon: had he really slaughtered a pig so we could have breakfast?

I swallowed the mouthful of eggs with a gulp and pushed the rest around the plate, rearranging them so it looked like I'd eaten more than I had. I made sure to bury the remaining piece of bacon in them, too. Then I grabbed the biscuit instead. It seemed safer since it hadn't come from an animal.

Uncle Henry passed me the butter and a knife. It wasn't until I'd spread the butter on my biscuit that I realized where it must have come from. Cows, of course.

I tried not to think about the origin of my breakfast while I ate the biscuit. I washed it down with orange juice, which, I figured, must be safe. It's not as if oranges had come from an animal.

When I'd finished eating, Uncle Henry cleared my plate for me, and I went back to my room to change.

I looked into the mirror, and the face that stared back was one t hat I hardly recognized. There were dark circles under my brown eyes, and my hair was sticking up at every angle. It refused to cooperate as I tried to flatten it. Finally, I gave up and looked away from the mirror. I went to the window and pulled open the shade, allowing the sunlight to penetrate the room.

Jack was gone, I was relieved to see. The last thing I needed was for some bird to be stalking me. I looked out the window at the rest of the farm. To the left, I could see a small wooden structure surrounded by hens. And there was Jack, walking proudly amongst them, his head held high and his chest jutted out. He was one strange bird.

To the right of the birds was a strange assortment of animals. There were cows, grazing in a field; sheep, being herded by Rover, the sheepdog; pigs, splashing happily in the mud; and even some animals I couldn't identify.

I'd never been on a ranch before. I wasn't used to being around animals. Many of the animals I recognized I'd only seen on TV. When my aunt and uncle used to invite me down to visit them, I'd always made excuses, saying that I had to work or that I was ill. Even now, I was only here because I had to hide. It was only my first day here and already I wished I could leave.

I got my chance a couple of hours later when Uncle Henry announced that he had to go to the store in a nearby town. Immediately, I seized the chance to get out of the house and offered to go in his place.

He gave me directions to the store, then handed me the keys to the truck. And then I was off.

I drove too fast down the empty country roads, pushing the limits of the old truck. Wind rushed in through the open windows and drowned out the sound of the ancient radio. There was nothing on anyway. Just a lot of country music.

The scenery whizzing by me was dominated primarily by dirt and cows. It surprised me how open it was. I would go miles without seeing a single house. Barrels of hay lay in rows beside the road in some places and I wondered what they needed all of that hay for anyway.

The color brown was the prominent color in the landscape, and I found myself missing California, where the land was green and the trees were covered year-round. There were no palm trees here either. There were hardly any trees at all, and the few that there were were bare. I was surprised anything could grow in this heat.

Too soon, I entered a small town. The one grocery store was easy to find, and I parked the truck in front of it.

"No shoes, no shirt, no service!" proclaimed a sign on the door, and I wondered why anyone would ever go grocery shopping without a shirt...or shoes. Maybe it was some sort of a joke.

Almost everything we needed was harvested on the farm, but my uncle had to buy food for the animals every month. I looked at the list he'd given me and got to work. I was surprised a grocery store would carry chicken feed, but then again, everything here surprised me.

When I'd finished at the grocery store, I stowed my purchases in the truck and decided to walk around the town for a while. Mostly I just didn't want to go back to the farm yet.

I walked around for a little while, but I soon found out that there wasn't much to this town besides the grocery store. There was a small library, a single school, and a few houses. It wasn't long before I got bored and decided to head back to the farm.

When I got back to the truck, I noticed a big round rock behind it in the middle of the road. Had that been there before? I decided to move it since it was blocking the way out.

I walked over to the rock, gravel—yes, gravel; what a strange place—crunching loudly under my feet. My leg swung back in preparation to kick it out of the way, but before I could bring it forward to make contact with the obstruction, the rock moved. I swear it did. I'm not even kidding.

I put my foot down and stood there, in the middle of the road, staring at the rock. _It moved_, I assured myself. _I'm not going crazy_. As I stared, four legs popped out of the rock, followed by a small brown head. It scuttled away quickly.

Maybe I am going crazy. The rock-creature had moved to the side of the road, where it now stood, staring back at me with wide eyes. I stared back at it, the same wide-eyed expression on my face.

I looked closer and noticed that there was a small patter on the rock—the creature's shell. A hint of recognition hit me, and I wracked my brain, trying to figure out where I'd seen this creature before.

It was an armadillo, I realized. I'd probably seen it on a postcard or something because I knew I'd never seen a real one. What a strange creature...

I drove away, shaking my head at the strangeness of this place. Ugly birds that wake you up every morning, food that had been alive a few hours before, huge barrels of hay in the middle of nowhere, and now moving rocks? I really would go crazy if I stayed here much longer.

By the time I got back to the farm, I could have sworn it was even hotter. I hung up the keys to the truck and went to the kitchen for some water.

"Nice day, ain't it?" my Uncle said. I stared at him, wondering if he was the one who'd gone crazy. He was wearing jeans, boots, a plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat. He looked like a character out of an old western movie. "Gettin' cooler every day," he continued, unaware of my disbelieving stare.

"Sure," I said, sarcastic. "Soon I'm gonna need a winter coat." I laughed at my own joke, but he seemed completely serious as he nodded.

"Yeah. It's s'posed to get down into the nineties next week."

I gawked at him now. "Nineties?" I repeated. "As in ninety _degrees_?"

He nodded again, as if this were perfectly normal.

_Only in Texas_, I thought as I stalked off to the guest bedroom.

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**5 reviews will get you another chapter. And this time I'm not updating until I have 5 in my inbox. So PLEASE review!! Even if you didn't like it. I know it was different from all of Jess's other dreams. I tried to add some comic relief in there, too, so let me know if any of it made you laugh. I'm kind of curious...**


	13. Chapter XII

**A/N: Wow. This chapter has been sitting on my computer for ages. Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I've kinda forgotten what exactly I've written. Might have to go back and reread. I'm getting confused as to what I've actually written and what is just in my head. Haha. Well, here's another chapter. It's kinda short. Anyway, sorry again for the long wait.**

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots property of Meg Cabot.

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Chapter XII 

When I awoke a few hours later, I knew exactly where Jake was. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I realized I would be sentencing the poor guy to death. But what choice did I have?

Unless…

A groan sounded from my side and I remembered that Rob was in my cabin now, poisoned.

"Rob?" I asked worriedly, twisting on the bed until I lay on my other side, facing him. I held his pale face in my hand. His eyes were closed but I knew he was awake. "Rob," I said, my voice cracking. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you." Rob's face blurred as my eyes filled with hot tears.

His arm lifted with a groan of great effort and rested on my waist. He opened his eyes slowly, weakly, and looked into my eyes. I wiped the tears away quickly and leaned forward slowly to kiss his forehead. Rob's eyes closed again and he gave my waist a slight squeeze, trying to assure me that he was okay. Then he went limp, unconscious again.

The tears came back to my eyes. This time I blinked and let them fall, leaving wet trails down my cheek. Rob's face was still held between my hands. "I love you," I whispered as I withdrew them.

I sat up in bed and wiped away the tears again, preparing myself for the inevitable talk with Marie.

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later there was the sound of a key turning in the lock. The door creaked open and light shone into the room. Marie walked in, alone. She looked at me expectantly.

"Do you have any information for me?" she asked. There were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days. But that didn't detract from the menacing look she gave me, as if daring me to say no. I didn't disappoint her.

"Yes," I said simply. "I do."

Surprise flitted across Marie's face. Obviously she'd expected me to be difficult. Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly and her eyes widened. The change in expression lasted only a moment before the familiar serene mask replaced the expression.

"Where is he?"

I hesitated for only a moment. "Texas," I answered. "At his uncle's farm."

Marie waited for me to say more. I didn't, and rage replaced the calm expression.

"Where in Texas?" she prompted.

I pretended to think hard, though I knew _exactly_ where he was. "Somewhere in Southern Texas, I think. Out in the country." This much was true anyway.

"Uh huh…" Marie said, obviously not satisfied with the information. "Is that all?"

I nodded, and her expression gave nothing away. Marie didn't know how my powers worked. She couldn't possibly know that I knew exactly where Jake was. She couldn't know that I could find him with my eyes closed. Marie strode from the room, locking the door behind her.

"Wait," I called after her, but she was already gone. A key turned in the lock and then there was silence for a moment. I knew she'd be back soon wanting to know if I had any more information. I could get the antidote for Rob, Ruth, and Cody then.

The sound of whispered voices floated into the cabin. It sounded like Marie, arguing with the guard outside my door. I could only catch a few words, but I gathered that she was going to Texas with a few of her cronies. She had a specific place in mind from the sound of it, but if she mentioned where, I didn't catch it.

After the whispers died down, I lay back in bed next to Rob, stroking his cheeks. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you," I told him again, though he was still unconscious.

Later that day Marie appeared in my doorway again, asking if I had any new information, as I knew she would. I told her I didn't and demanded that she give Cody, Ruth, and Rob the antidote that would save their lives.

Marie pulled a small vial of bluish potion out of her pocket, and I thought she was actually going to fulfill her side of the arrangement. I told her where Cody was (sort of anyway) and she would give me the antidote. Of course, she didn't give it to me. "Not until I find the kid," she said, stowing the vial back in her jacket pocket.

Only an hour later, there was the sound of an engine coming to life outside my cabin. I rushed to the window, but it was facing the wrong way for me to see anything.

I listened to the engine fade into the distance, straining my ears long after it was out of hearing range. I thought about what I'd just done. What if Marie knew where Jake was? Had I just sentenced him to death?

I decided I'd better warn him.

But first, I had to escape this cabin.

"Nnnn," said a voice from the bed.

"Rob," I whispered, crossing the room to sit beside him. I pushed his hair off his forehead gently.

"Nnnn," he repeated.

"I can't understand you," I said, annoyed at myself and disappointed that I couldn't help him. "Say it again."

It took him a moment to gain enough strength to open his eyes. "No," he said finally.

"No? No what?"

He pointed at me and his finger shook. "Not going," he whispered.

I frowned. "I have to go," I told him. "She's going to kill him."

Rob shook his head and reached out, grabbing my wrist with a force that surprised me. He held on tightly, though I knew it must cost him great effort due to the poison.

"Rob, listen to me." I held his face in my hands and turned his head toward me, forcing him to look into my eyes. "I have to go. Jake is at his Uncle's farm, just south of Pleasanton, Texas." I wrote down the address for him. "I'm leaving tonight."

Rob broke his grip on my wrist and looked into my eyes. "Be careful," he mumbled, closing his eyes as the drugs kicked in again. He reached into his pocket and handed me the keys to his motorcycle. "Helmet," he murmured.

"Thanks," I said, taking the keys.

When the guards switched again, I was gone.

* * *

**Please review. I need at least five before I update again. Still, it might be a little while. I still have to go back and reread everything. Hope it was worth the wait...Thanks to those of you who have stuck with me.**


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